内容摘要：It also imposed new measures under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, targeting two individuals and three entities for what it described as “severe human rights violations”.

It also imposed new measures under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, targeting two individuals and three entities for what it described as “severe human rights violations”.

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

– 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

, 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”.In a statement issued on Wednesday, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said US trade deficits with other countries constituted “a national emergency that has decimated American communities … and weakened our defence industrial base”.

“It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency,” Desai added.Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, also hit out at the ruling with a post on X claiming “the judicial coup is out of control”.

The Justice Department, which is headed by US Attorney General, a Trump appointee, said the lawsuits should be dismissed because only Congress, not private businesses, can challenge a national emergency declared by the president under the IEEPA.