(PatriotPostNews.com) – While tensions remain high between supporters of Israel and Palestine in their ongoing war, the governor of Georgia has become the latest state leader to enact a bill defining antisemitism.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law on January 31, which he declared was an act of support for the Jewish citizens in Georgia, contradicting some claims that it would instead infringe upon those who are criticizing Israel’s military actions.
Upon signing the law, Kemp said that he was defending his state’s “commitment” to a place free from discrimination, noting that there is “no place for hate” in Georgia. The governor drew a parallel between the antisemitism definition law and one he signed in 2020, which permits greater punishment to be doled out if a crime is committed based on an individual’s race or religion.
Although the measure to define antisemitism in state law had been postponed in 2023, it was pushed with greater zeal at the start of the new year as reports of antisemitic incidents in Georgia increased and the war between Israel and Hamas rages on.
Bill sponsors supported adopting a definition instituted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016, arguing that it would assist officials and prosecutors in cracking down on illegal discrimination against Jewish residents. Combined with the 2020 hate crimes law, this form of targeting could result to greater punishment for perpetrators.
The bill defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of the Jews” which could be “expressed as hatred,” including “rhetorical and physical manifestations” of this view.
According to Kenneth Stern, who penned the IHRA definition, this language in law could pose a larger issue as a growing number of Jews turn to anti-zionism in response to Israel’s actions against Palestine.
Tensions have remained high since the October 7 massacre of over a thousand Israelis by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. As thousands more have been killed in counterattacks from Israel, the public has persisted in its division on how ethical the response is.
In the United States, several governors have instituted laws defining antisemitism, sparked by the rise in threatening and discriminatory incidents against Jewish Americans.
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