Nikki Haley Pledges To Pull Tax-Exemption Status From Schools Not Combatting Anti-Semitism

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley aims to revoke the tax-exempt status for schools that do not fight anti-Semitism — including when it comes to the Jewish state of Israel — if she is elected to the White House.

The 2024 contender shared her plan as anti-Israel demonstrations popped up on U.S. college campuses in response to Israeli forces battling Hamas in the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ deadly terrorist attacks on Israel earlier this month.

“You can’t fight antisemitism if you can’t define it. [President] Joe Biden and the Left refuse to call anti-Zionism antisemitism,” Haley said in a recent post to X. “As president I will change the official federal definition of antisemitism to include denying Israel’s right to exist, and I will pull schools’ tax exemption status if they do not combat antisemitism in all of its forms – in accordance with federal law.”

Haley told the The New York Post she would employ the definition of anti-Semitism given by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” is one of the “contemporary examples” of anti-Semitism provided by the group.

“College campuses are allowed to have free speech, but they are not free to spread hate that supports terrorism. Federal law requires schools to combat antisemitism. We will give this law teeth and we will enforce it. The United States of America will not use taxpayer dollars to fund antisemitism. Period,” Haley said on X.

“The Oct. 7 massacre and the ensuing weeks have proven what many of us have long known: There is no difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism,” Haley added. “In order to combat antisemitism, we have to define it, and that starts at the top.”

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Haley is a former governor of South Carolina and United Nations (UN) ambassador. During her time as a diplomat, Haley scolded the UN for opposing the Trump administration’s decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. embassy there. She even suggested the U.S. might reconsider how much it contributed to the UN.

Roughly two and a half months until the Iowa caucuses, Haley has risen in national polls to roughly 8% on average. Another candidate who has called for cracking down on anti-Semitism on campuses by restricting federal funds is Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who hovers around 2% in the polls.