New York Governor Kathy Hochul has ignited a constitutional controversy by proposing legislation that would establish 25-foot buffer zones prohibiting protests outside religious institutions. The initiative, announced during her State of the State address, directly referenced a January 8th protest in Queens where the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation-Awda (PAL-Awda) demonstrated against a real estate exposition promoting sales of occupied Palestinian land.
Hochul framed the proposal as necessary protection for worshippers, stating it would safeguard “those who simply want to pray.” However, civil rights organizations immediately condemned the measure as a severe infringement on First Amendment rights. The Center for Constitutional Rights and Palestine Legal issued a joint statement warning the proposal “poses a serious threat to New Yorkers’ First Amendment rights and sends a dangerous message that silences dissent.”
The context involves ongoing tensions surrounding Israeli real estate companies conducting expos in the United States marketing properties in the occupied West Bank—activities considered illegal under international law. These events frequently attract both pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israeli counter-protesters, sometimes escalating into physical confrontations.
PAL-Awda denounced the proposed ban as “a blatant violation” of constitutional rights and accused the state of shielding real estate companies that “use religious institutions as shields, behind which they conduct discriminatory business.” The organization specifically rejected Hochul’s characterization that the measure protects religious freedom, arguing instead that it protects “Zionist real estate companies and settler agencies.”
Adding complexity to the debate, Jewish members of PAL-Awda and the advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace have criticized the use of synagogues for illegal land sales, calling it a “moral failure of epic proportions.” Meanwhile, the announcement came alongside news that far-right Zionist organization Betar USA is winding down operations following a settlement with the New York attorney general’s office after investigations found the group incited violence against pro-Palestinian protesters.
The proposal emerges amid increasing violence at protests since Israel’s war on Gaza, including a February incident where pro-Palestinian demonstrators were allegedly assaulted, spat on, and subjected to religious harassment, resulting in hospitalizations.