Cities and states that boycott Israeli companies will be ineligible for federal disaster preparedness aid, according to new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding guidelines.
A series of grant notices posted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Friday required applicants to comply with the “terms and conditions” issued by the DHS in April, which prohibit participation in boycotts against Israel. The requirement affects at least $1.9 billion in FEMA funding, according to Reuters.
Under the DHS guidelines, any grant applicant that engages in a “discriminatory prohibited boycott” is ineligible for funding. The policy defines a prohibited boycott as “refusing to deal, cutting commercial relations, or otherwise limiting commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies or with companies doing business in or with Israel or authorized by, licensed by, or organized under the laws of Israel to do business.”
The grants to which these terms apply include over $300 million in funding to assist state, local, tribal and territorial emergency management agencies in implementing emergency preparedness systems. Major cities will also have to comply with the Israeli policy to access a portion of the more than $1 billion set aside to help prevent terrorism and other catastrophic events.
“DHS will enforce all antidiscrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the [boycott, divest and sanction] movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism,” a DHS spokesperson told Reuters.
Neither FEMA nor DHS responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The funding restrictions follow growing criticism of Israel, both domestically and abroad, over its ongoing war against Hamas. President Donald Trump so far has maintained a firm stance in support of Israel, putting him at odds with many Democrats, and increasingly, with some within the Republican Party as well.
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Republished with permission from Daily Caller News Foundation
