US House passes bill to crack down on university boycotts of Israel

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday to block federal aid for universities that boycott Israel, the latest Republican-backed pro-Israel measure amid growing Democraticcriticism of the Israeli government over the war in Gaza. The Republican-majority chamber voted 237-169 in favor of the "Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act," which would have to pass the Senate in order to become law.