Washington Democrats slap surprise ‘Hamas amendment’ on Holocaust education bill

A bipartisan bill on Holocaust and genocide education in Washington state has had a “Hamas amendment” slapped on it by State House Democrats that would guarantee that antisemitic and pro-Hamas talking points are taught to public school children.

House Bill 2037 mandates that public schools teach the Holocaust and other genocides and augment current material on the Holocaust with a curriculum augmented by the Holocaust Center for Humanity and other agencies. Additionally, in April, International Genocide Prevention and Awareness Month, Washington public schools must also promote age-appropriate educational activities regarding the Holocaust and other genocides.

The bill was a companion to a Senate bill, introduced by Republican State Senator John Braun, following the Hamas massacre of Oct 7, to address GOP concerns that one in five Americans aged 18 to 29 don't think the Holocaust occurred.

However, once the bills were introduced, local antisemites and Hamas supporters spammed legislators demanding that the Holocaust education be watered down and focus more on other genocides.

Some of the far-left educators also wanted children to be taught the false narrative that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Jewish state’s ongoing war against Hamas terrorists.

After the bill came out of committee with unanimous approval, Seattle Democratic Rep. Emily Alvarado, in a move attempting to pacify her far-left base, slapped what legislators have dubbed the “Hamas amendment” on the legislation that would open the door for the Holocaust curriculum to include the false Hamas narrative in an attempt to offset addressing pro-Israel “bias” in the material.

Alvarado’s amendment added that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction must work with organizations with “expertise in teaching lessons on genocide and crimes against humanity in different regions of the world and at various points in history, particularly including diasporic communities with lived experiences of surviving, being made refugee by, or otherwise being directly impacted by genocide,” in an effort to include Palestinians.

Alvarado claimed on the House floor, when she introduced the surprise amendment without informing the Republican author of the bill, that it was being brought forward to make the proposed Holocaust education more “inclusive” and “accountable.”

House Democrats realized they wouldn't have the votes to pass the Holocaust education bill without the amendment due to their radical members and instead of having the antisemitic rhetoric from their caucus be live-streamed, they adjourned for the night.

The next day they came back united on including the “Hamas amendment,” forcing the GOP to either pass the legislation or appear as if they opposed Holocaust education.

Republican State Representative Travis Couture said in response to the Democrats' stunt, "I have some concerns with language included in a surprise amendment by the majority party that I believe weakened the bill." 

The bill passed and now heads to the State Senate where Democratic members have junked the original bill in favor of the House bill which includes the “Hamas Amendment.”

As a result, the future of the legislation remains uncertain.