On Wednesday evening, the Knesset plenum approved in a preliminary reading, a bill that says higher education students who support terrorism will be removed from academic institutions, and student groups that support terrorism will be immediately dismantled. The proposal was introduced by a Member of the Knesset Limor Son Har-Melech and received the support of 52 members of the Knesset, while 30 Knesset Members opposed it. Having passed the preliminary reading, the bill will now be forwarded for further discussions within the education committee to hone the language and debate the individual clauses before it is brought to the Knesset for a full vote.

According to the amendment, the 'Student Rights Law' must establish a ban on supporting terrorism within institutions of higher education, and academic institutions will suspend a student who violates the ban for a period of no less than 30 days. If the student violates the prohibition once more, they will be permanently removed from studies at the institution, and their right to an academic degree in Israel will be denied as well as recognition of a degree granted outside of Israel for five years and for a period of ten years if the student was convicted of a terrorist-related offense. In addition, the institution will bring about the closure of all student groups that violate the ban.

#Israel gives its #Arab citizens equal rights, healthcare and free education. They reward the #Jewish state with a #Nakba Day demonstration at #TelAviv university waving #PLO flags.#Israel75 #Nakba pic.twitter.com/S1vkEuZW9t

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"Academic institutions have become in the last year a central stage of incitement in the State of Israel," reads the explanatory notes to the law, "at Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion, and the Hebrew universities, students held explicit demonstrations in favor of the Intifada and in some cases even explicitly chanted slogans in favor of terrorists from various terrorist organizations.” Incidentally, it has been those demonstrations, mostly of Arab students sympathetic to Palestinian terror groups, which have demonstrated Israel's freedom of speech and democracy. The bill, however, seeks to penalize students for specifically supporting terror and praising attacks on Israelis, whether in Judea, Samaria, or anywhere else inside of Israel. Protesting against the State and its policies will not constitute supporting terror.

Knesset Forum Seeks to Determine How Israel Can Weaken Terror Groups, Win Next War https://t.co/hWLpWqLvm2

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“Also, students were arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorist incidents and some were even convicted, and all this without an adequate response from the academic institutions. In addition, Independence Day in Israel has turned into a day when the flags of the PLO terrorist organization are raised in academic institutions, funded by the State of Israel on its sovereign independence day. The existing legal framework does not allocate enough tools to academic institutions to act against explicit support for terrorism. It is unacceptable that students will be forced to study alongside those who expressed explicit support for terrorist attacks, in the face of complete silence from the management of the institutions."

Education Minister Yoav Kish said in his speech in the Knesset plenum before the preliminary vote that "Student groups that support terrorism, the universities will have to close them down. This is not politics, this is a basic requirement of all universities."

Israel's Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech and Likud MK Amit Halevi put forth a motion to outlaw the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel and investigate its members for supporting terrorism

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In the committee, the heads of the universities called on the members of the Knesset to oppose the law and stated that they are strongly opposed to supporting terrorism, however, this activity is prohibited by various laws of the State of Israel and is currently effectively enforced by the relevant branches of government. "The bill seeks to turn the universities into policemen, judges, and even executioners, for crimes that have nothing to do with the academy." There was no indication from the comments if the universities are against the physical removal of student groups and organizations that support terror, the suspension of students, or both.