(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Three Republican lawmakers are proposing a measure to address the disruptive behavior of pro-Palestinian students at college campuses protesting against Israel: shipping them off to Gaza for six months.
Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Randy Weber, R-Texas, and Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., introduced legislation on Wednesday that would mandate the relocation of any individual charged and convicted of crimes related to campus disturbances to the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip.
🚨My message is clear: if you’re a student visa holder rioting AGAINST American values and FOR Hamas terrorists, you can go study abroad in Gaza.
Read more about my latest bill.👇 https://t.co/UekRTahnEY
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) May 8, 2024
The bill, initially reported by Fox News, comes amid instances where several students refuse to dismantle their encampments at numerous universities nationwide, protesting Israel’s military efforts to secure hostages held by Hamas terrorists.
Though the legislation does not specify Israel or any particular group, it stipulates that the criminal conduct must have occurred after Oct. 7, 2023—the date of Hamas’s incursion into southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 individuals, including U.S. citizens.
“Students have abandoned their classes to harass other students and disrupt campus-wide activities, including university commencement ceremonies nationwide. Enough is enough,” Ogles told Fox News.
“That’s why I introduced legislation to send any person convicted of unlawful activity on the campus of an American university since October 7th, 2023, to Gaza to complete a minimum of six months of community service,” Ogles added.
Weber echoed Ogles’s sentiments, stating, “If you support a terrorist organization, and you participate in unlawful activity on campuses, you should get a taste of your own medicine. I am going to bet that these pro-Hamas supporters wouldn’t last a day, but let’s give them the opportunity.”
The protests on college campuses revolve around the assertion that Israel is perpetrating war crimes in the Gaza Strip, where the Jewish state is combating Hamas.
Approximately 2,200 individuals have been arrested by police, according to the Associated Press.