Support for UMass Amherst’s Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine

Please fill out this form with your name and/or organization and title to support UMass' Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

https://bit.ly/2PutHZg

Greetings,

We, UMass Amherst Students for Justice in Palestine, are urgently contacting you for support, because of the extreme backlash both in number and nature regarding the upcoming panel event on May 4 titled, “Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Rights.” This past week, 80 nationwide organizations wrote to UMass Chancellor Subbaswamy ordering the university to rescind all support and sponsorship of the event.. They stated that this event violates the university’s academic mission and will encourage violence on campus. 

This is a clear silencing tactic to end a necessary discussion about Palestinian rights and critiques of the Israeli government. The selective outrage is clear when there is no response like this to any other political events UMass holds on campus. UMass and its academic departments regularly sponsor speakers on all sides of the political spectrum, showing that the only “personal political agendas” these 80 organizations take umbrage with are those who are standing up in the face of censorship on the topic of Palestine. This letter describes the event as a “political rally” that will incite violence even though it has been explicitly promoted as a panel discussion on censorship. The reaction to this event is exactly why this event is happening. Anti-Palestinian rhetoric has controlled the conversation for far too long and censorship received by individuals such as the panelists solidifies the need for this event on a diverse campus. Anti-Zionism is not the same as anti-semitism.

On the evening of April 23rd, tickets for the event online were reserved in bulk in an attempt to protest the event and ensure others genuinely interested in the panelists’ messages are unable to attend. We have also received information about individuals preparing to disrupt the event, although we hope this is not true.

Once again, we urge those in support of this event and free speech to share this message widely. Hundreds of tickets will be available at the door at 6:15 pm on evening of the event and unclaimed tickets on the day of the event will be available to students as well. We suggest you come even earlier if you are able. In the face of this intimidation, we hope you come out in support early and wait for your tickets at the door.

Our panelists, Linda Sarsour, Roger Waters, David Zirin and Marc Lamont Hill and moderator, Vijay Prashad are steadfast in their beliefs and refuse to be intimidated and silenced. We stand with them. We urge you to show your support as our University faces severe pressure against this event.

Join the New Paltz Socialists

Since Israel's foundation, the basic rights and freedoms of Palestinians have been under assault. Continued land grabs, the denial of clean water and equal education funding to Palestinians, and the continued bulldozing of Palestinian homes make it clear that Israel is a modern-day apartheid state. The Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement attempts to use one of the same strategies (an international boycott and divestment campaign) used to end apartheid in South Africa to end apartheid in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories. Join the New Paltz Socialists for a discussion on what BDS is, and how we can fight for it here in the Hudson Valley.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2247776385541258/

Airbnb coverage in the news

In November, Airbnb released a statement announcing a new policy that would remove listings by Israeli settlers in “disputed regions” of the West Bank, excluding Jerusalem. The decision was immediately challenged by dual Israeli-U.S. citizens who are settlers and whose listings are to be removed. These individuals sued Airbnb in a court in Delaware, alleging discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.

On March 18, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a motion to intervene that case on behalf of two Palestinian individuals, a village, and a municipality. They seek to bring counterclaims against the settlers for war crimes, crimes against humanity, trespass, unjust enrichment, and under the Fair Housing Act for the settlers’ own discriminatory postings. Palestinians from the West Bank are barred from accessing their land, while the settlers are profiting off of it.

Upon filing, CCR released four one-minute videos of our clients, explaining in their own words why they intervened and the lived experience of Palestinians affected by Israel’s illegal occupation and settlement enterprise.

Megadonors favor Israel

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/magazine/battle-over-bds-israel-palestinians-antisemitism.html

"Despite pointed critiques of American support for Israel by representatives like Betty McCollum of Minnesota, Tlaib and Omar, there is little willingness among Democrats to argue publicly for substantially changing longstanding policy toward Israel. In part, some Hill staff members and former White House officials say, this is because of the influence of megadonors: Of the dozens of personal checks greater than $500,000 made out to the largest PAC for Democrats in 2018, the Senate Majority PAC, around three-fourths were written by Jewish donors."

Fordham Students for Justice in Palestine

A year later, still no ruling in Fordham Students for Justice in Palestine case 

Frontlines of Justice readers may remember a case we filed almost two years ago on behalf of students at Fordham University after Fordham overruled the student government's approval of a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) club. More than a year ago, the court heard oral arguments over Fordham's attempt to dismiss the case, as well as on an injunction the students requested to order Fordham to allow them to organize the SJP—or they would have graduated by the time the case concluded. Now, that very situation is coming to pass. More than a year after oral argument, we are still awaiting a ruling. Three of the students in the case have graduated, and another will graduate this spring. On Friday, along with our partners at Palestine Legal, we filed a motion to add a sophomore student, Veer Shetty, to the case, lest Fordham be able to continue to violate students' right to organize simply by running out the clock. The fact is, Fordham could do the right thing at any time. It needs no court ruling in order to stop violating students' rights and allow them to form an SJP club at Fordham. Until then, we will continue to litigate the issue.

NYU Student Government Passes Israeli-authored BDS Resolution

NEW YORK - The Student Government Assembly at New York University passed a resolution Thursday supporting a divestment of businesses that sell to the Israeli army.

More than 60 organizations and 30 faculty members supported the resolution, which was co-authored by an Israeli-American student.

The resolution calls on the university to divest from companies that “play an active role in funding and perpetuating Israel’s illegal occupation and its violation of human rights, making NYU complicit in these crimes.”

The resolution listed corporations such as Caterpillar Inc., Lockheed Martin, and General Electric as companies that sell bulldozers, helicopters, and engine generators to the Israeli army.

Following a debate that lasted into the night, 35 students voted for the resolution, 14 voted against, and 14 abstained. Israeli and Jewish students and others who oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement protested outside the meeting.

“The resolution will help my family in Israel, along with Palestinians” said Rose Asaf, who co-authored the resolution along with two students affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Leen Dweik and Bayan Abubakr.

The students also listed two faculties at NYU that use General Electric engines or list Lockheed Martin as a corporate partner. The resolution points out as precedent that in 1985 the New York University Student Senators Council unanimously voted for the university to divest from all South African businesses during the Apartheid era.   

Taly Krupkin New York

Dec 08, 2018 1:30 AM

Efforts to discredit liberal Jews and Jewish organizations

The Film the Israel Lobby Does Not Want You to See

The series is an inside look over five months by an undercover reporter, at how the government and intelligence agencies of Israel work with U.S. domestic Jewish groups to spy on, smear and attack critics who support the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement

Chris Hedges