Anti-Israel and Antisemitic Activities on Campuses
in North America
(December 2002)
Since the beginning of 2002, there has been an appreciable
increase in antisemitic phenomena on campuses all over the United States
and Canada. These activities have taken the form of radical, and sometimes
violent, pro-Palestinian activities as well as in blatantly anti-Zionist
and antisemitic statements. Already in the first five months of 2002,
at least 63 significant events were recorded on campuses in the United
States alone, and increase of 320 percent over 2001! The largest number
of such events occurred in April 2002.
- Characterisitics of the Activities
-
Reactions to Anti-Israel/Antisemitic
Phenomena
- Summary
Characteristics of the Activities
In the wake of the 11th September events, there was
a perceptible decrease in the political activities of Arab students
in North America. Since the beginning of 2002, there has been a decided
change in the pattern of the activities of these students on the major
and prestigious campuses, and these changes brought in their wake an
increase in the number of violent on-campus anti-Israel and antisemitic
incidents.
Most of these activities are organized by pro-Palestinian
elements, mostly Muslims and students of Arab origin, who are joined
by radical left-wing and "green" organizations, and human
rights groups identified with the radical left.
These anti-Israel activities, which, include dissemination
of propaganda and harassment of Jewish students and faculty, deviates
far beyond what would be acceptable and legitimate criticism of Israeli
policies and takes the form of unbridled hate attacks on Jews and the
Jewish State. One of the more blatant activities against Israel, which
started at Berkeley University in California, is the petition calling
for divestment from Israel, i.e. cancellation of investments in commercial
companies which cooperate with Israel, thus urging these companies to
several all ties with it. Moreover, there has been a call for an academic
boycott of Israel and Israeli scientists.
In both written and oral propaganda as well as in antisemitic
graffiti, the pro-Palestinian activists use Nazi images and stereotypes
which compare Zionism to Nazism and Israeli policies to apartheid. The
Jews are accused of controlling the United States. There are calls for
America to stop supporting the Jewish State and even for the annihilation
of Israel.
The majority of the events took place at academic institutions,
with the greatest number taking place in the San Francisco Bay area.
It may be said that the "organized" activities
of the pro-Palestinians activities began at Berkeley University on 16th
February 2002, at a demonstration by the "Students for Justice
in Palestine" with the participation of representatives from all
over the United States. The aim of that demonstration was the unification
of the ranks of the nationalist movement with Palestinians in the United
States. In the course of this demonstration, the United States was called
upon to stop its support for Israel, support for the Intifadah was expressed
and a date was set, 9th April (the anniversary of the incident at Deir
Yasin) for "action day". Demands were made for increasing
the Arab Boycott of commercial companies cooperating with Israel, for
divestment from Israel and for an end to American assistance to Israel.
Reactions to Anti-Israel/Antisemitic
Phenomena
Jewish students, mainly members of the Hillel Foundation,
and faculty members have begun taking action against these phenomena,
although this has taken on a more organized form only recently. Rallies
are held in support of Israel on campuses and a petition against divestment
is being circulated, but these activities do not as yet have the force
enjoyed by the opposing side. In early October a website was set up
by the "Middle East Forum" in Philadelphia. The site - www.campus-watch.org,
was set up with the aim of protecting American interests on campuses,
including support for Israel and calls on students and faculty members
to report on lecturers, especially those in Middle Eastern Studies,
who criticize Israel in a crass and unfair manner.
The debate on the subject of divestment heated up following
statements by two senior members of Harvard University academic staff,
President Lawrence Summers and the jurist Professor Alan Dershowitz,
who sharply criticized the lecturers who had signed the divestment from
Israel petition. They are of the opinion that these drastic moves are
deeply rooted in antisemitism and yield antisemitic results.
Summary
The year 2002 is characterized on campuses in North
America by broad, well organized and highly vocal activities of pro-Palestinians
elements, mainly Muslims and Arabs. Very often, criticism of Israel
has boiled over into violence and harassment of Jewish students and
faculty members. On several of the campuses, for example in California,
Jewish students are fearful for being attacked. The obvious lack of
desire on the part of university authorities to confront this pro-Palestinian
violence in effect encourages it.
Two phenomena comprise the dangerous nature of the
incidents of this year: It has become bon ton for students to support
the Palestinians (which they view as support for human rights and the
weak), and among the faculty members intellectual antisemitism has been
expressed in the trend towards academic and economic boycott of Israel.
Source: The
Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism
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