{
  "id": 19964254,
  "title": "Will Senate Religious Freedom Bill Actually Protect Land Sales for Israeli Settlements?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/will-senate-religious-freedom-bill-actually-protect-land-sales-for-19964254",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-14T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Intercept",
    "slug": "the-intercept",
    "url": "https://theintercept.com/2026/11/14/religious-freedom-protest-israeli-settlement-sales/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A proposed \"buffer zone\" surrounding religious facilities nationwide — ostensibly safeguarding the right to worship — has raised concerns among free-speech advocates. The Trump administration could potentially misuse this legislation to target protests at illegal land sales in the West Bank by Jewish settlers, occurring within U.S. synagogues, according to these critics. This bipartisan legislation, dubbed the Right to Worship Act, has been backed by Senators Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and will face scrutiny during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. The bill has received support from Christian, Jewish, and minority religious leaders who argue it could help prevent hate crimes. However, major Muslim groups have not joined the supporters, highlighting their concerns that the bill might be used to penalize non-violent, pro-Palestine protesters.\n\nUnder the proposed law, the Department of Justice could impose civil penalties or injunctions against individuals who engage in a \"course of conduct\" that interferes with religious services or blocks access to them within 100 feet of a church, mosque, synagogue, or other religious facility. Litigation could also arise from worshippers and state attorneys general. Similar \"buffer zones\" have been enacted in various states, with some cities, like New York, adopting different approaches based on the type of religious institution.\n\nThe legislation's backers claim it is a narrowly defined safeguard, yet critics argue that the \"course of conduct\" deemed punishable is too vague, potentially allowing the Trump administration to target peaceful protesters. One major concern is the definition of \"religious services,\" which could potentially encompass real-estate solicitations for land seized illegally from Palestinians in the West Bank. Critics also point out that the bill's protective measures for synagogues already exist under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act), which criminalizes force, threats, or physical obstruction near religious institutions and abortion clinics.\n\nAbortion rights groups are particularly apprehensive, fearing that the Right to Worship Act could lead to the weakening or repeal of the FACE Act, which already provides strong protections for abortion clinics. President Donald Trump pardoned anti-abortion rights protesters convicted of blocking a clinic under the FACE Act in his first year in office. Critics argue that the Right to Worship Act is deceptive, warning of its potential to become a mechanism for weakening the FACE Act and undermining protections for abortion clinics.",
  "summary": "Advocates said the bill was necessary because of protests outside synagogues hosting real estate expos for Israeli settlement land. The post Will Senate Religious Freedom Bill Actually Protect Land Sales for Israeli Settlements? appeared first on The Intercept .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}