Georgia lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that would define antisemitism in state law, with Republicans uniting in support of Israel’s war on Hamas and some Democrats splitting over fears of suppressing support for Palestinians.

“Today we can fight a pervasive and escalating threat in our state and fight it together,” said Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, a Macon Republican and partner with James Bates Brannan Groover, who guided the bill to Senate passage by a 44-6 vote. The measure had stalled in a Senate committee in 2023.