Washington, DC – When the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank in the United States, released a playbook last year for how to destroy the Palestine solidarity movement, it did not garner much attention.
But more than eight months later, the policy document – known as Project Esther – now faces heightened scrutiny from activists and media outlets, in part because President Donald Trump appears to be following its blueprint.
The authors of Project Esther have presented their report as a set of recommendations for combating anti-Semitism, but critics say the document’s ultimate aim is to “poison” groups critical of Israel by painting them as Hamas associates.
Project Esther was created as a response to growing protests against the US support for Israel’s war on Gaza, which United Nations experts and rights groups have described as a genocide.
So, what is Project Esther, and how is it being applied against activists? Here is a look at the document and its ongoing implications for the US.
What is the Heritage Foundation?
The Heritage Foundation is an influential conservative think tank in Washington, DC, whose stated mission is to “formulate and promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense”.
Yet, critics argue that Project Esther calls for government interference to curb individual freedoms, including the rights to free speech and association when it comes to opposing Israeli government policies.
According to a New York Times report published earlier this month, the project is overseen by Victoria Coates, a vice president at the Heritage Foundation who served as deputy national security adviser during Trump’s first term.
The Heritage Foundation is also behind Project 2025, which critics describe as an authoritarian playbook for the second Trump presidency.
Ahead of the elections last year, Democrats repeatedly invoked Project 2025 to criticise Trump, but the then-candidate distanced himself from the document.
What does Project Esther aim to achieve?
The initiative says that it aims to “dismantle the infrastructure that sustains” what it calls the “Hamas Support Network” within 24 months.
What is the ‘Hamas Support Network’, according to Project Esther?
The authors claim that groups engaged in advocacy for Palestinian rights are members of the Hamas Support Network (HSN).
They define the supposed network as “people and organizations that are both directly and indirectly involved in furthering Hamas’s cause in contravention of American values and to the detriment of American citizens and America’s national security interests”.
In short, the document alleges that the “pro-Palestinian movement” is “effectively a terrorist support network”.
Does the ‘Hamas Support Network’ exist?
No.
There is no such network in the US, which has stern laws against providing material support to groups designated as “terrorist organisations”, including Hamas.
Beth Miller – the political director at Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a group that the Heritage Foundation names as part of the network – called Project Esther’s allegations “outlandish”.
“It exposes the length of lies and of absurdity that they are going through to try to tear down the Palestinian rights movement,” Miller told Al Jazeera.
The Heritage Foundation did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
How does Project Esther plan to take down the Palestinian rights movement?
The document calls for a multi-faceted campaign against supporters of Palestinian rights, targeting them legally, politically and financially.
The initiative outlines 19 goals that it labels as “desired effects”.
They include denying Palestinian rights supporters who are not US citizens access to universities, ensuring that social media platforms do not allow “anti-Semitic content”, and presenting evidence of “criminal activity” by Palestine advocates to the executive branch.
It also calls for refusing to grant permits for protests organised in support of Palestinian rights.
Project Esther suggests that Israel’s backers should conduct “legal, private research” into pro-Palestine groups to “uncover criminal wrongdoing” and undermine their credibility.
“We must wage lawfare,” it reads, referring to the tactic of using litigation to pressure opponents.
Is the Trump administration turning Project Esther recommendations into policy?
It appears to be the case.
“The pha