Antisemitism and Divestment in the Vortex of US Student Protests
The US House of Representatives wants to call all criticism of Israel antisemitic. Many parties oppose it.
This article has been translated using AI. See Original .
About AI Translated Article
Please note that this article was automatically translated using Microsoft Azure AI, Open AI, and Google Translation AI. We cannot ensure that the entire content is translated accurately. If you spot any errors or inconsistencies, contact us at hotline@kompas.id, and we'll make every effort to address them. Thank you for your understanding.
Students from George Washington University in Washington DC, United States, wrote pro-Palestine messages during a demonstration on April 27, 2024.
Pro-Palestine demonstrations continue at a number of universities in United States. Three universities, namely Brown University, John Hopkins, and Northwestern, have made agreements between the campuses and the student protesters. They will discuss the possibility of divestment from Israeli companies or institutions that support the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.
At the same time, the US DPR is also discussing plans to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They want to expand the definition of antisemitism contained in the regulation to include "any narrative or action that criticizes Israel as a Jewish state.”
On Thursday (2/5/2024), US President Joe Biden said that freedom of expression must be upheld. However, at the same time, police arrested students on charges of occupying campuses. Several universities even suspended academic staff who participated in demonstrations.
"There is a right to protest, but there is no right to cause chaos. In the US, there is no place for anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Arab behavior," said Biden.
Also read: Pro-Palestinian Demonstration Continues on UCLA Campus, Police Raid Campus Again
Students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and other campuses protested against the war in Gaza in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 22, 2024.
The plan of the DPR has sparked many criticisms. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a written statement calling the plan to change the definition of anti-Semitism too broad and vague.
This can silence freedom of speech and critical thinking, which are the foundations of democracy. A number of Jewish members of the US Congress also opposed the plan. They include Bernie Sanders from the Independent Faction and John Nadler from the Democratic Party Faction.
Definition of antisemite
Sanders and Nadler's opinion is in line with the explanation of Joshua Shanes, an expert in Jewish Studies at the College of Charleston. In the January 31 2024 edition of The Conversation, Shanes explained that antisemitism is a conspiracy theory that says Jews hold strategic positions with the aim of dominating the world so that Jews are blamed for all negative global events.
Jewish residents in Chicago, State of Illinois, United States, take part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration on November 13, 2023.
Antisemitism also means considering Jews to only be loyal to Israel, not to the country that has been their homeland for so long. In addition, antisemitism blames the Jewish diaspora for the decisions of the Israeli government.
Shanes explained that there is also a view of anti-Zionism. This is a thought that opposes the establishment of the state of Israel for the Jews at the expense of the Palestinian people. Anti-Zionist views are also believed by some Jews. Anti-Zionism does not discriminate against Jews based on their religious and ethnic identities, but opposes Israel's political decisions as a state.
Also read: Police Raid a Number of Campuses in the United States
"Therefore, anti-Zionism and criticism of the Israeli government should not be categorized as anti-Semitic," explained Shanes.
The decision to change the definition of anti-Semitism originated from the Republican Party Faction. They deemed the protests by students against Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, which went far beyond self-defense following Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, to be anti-Semitic.
The reason being, students are now asking for their campuses to disassociate themselves from donations that come from individuals, companies, and institutions that support those operations. Some Jewish organizations in the US have accused the students' actions, specifically targeting Israeli companies, as antisemitic.
Student protesters supporting Palestine set up an encampment at Columbia University, April 22, 2024, in New York City, USA.
This is denied by other Jewish organizations, including Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Cameron Jones, a member of JVP and also a student at Columbia University in New York, emphasized that there is no racial or discriminatory aspect in their demand for divestment.
"Our demands are very clear, namely to stop dealing with parties who support the genocide of the Palestinian people. "These parties are not only Israeli companies, but any party that is directly or indirectly involved in causing human rights violations in Palestine," said Jones, quoted by the newspaper TheNew York Times < /i>Wednesday edition (1/5/2024).
Therefore, anti-Zionism and criticism of the Israeli government should not be categorized as anti-Semitic.
Google is being criticized for providing cloud computing technology used by the Israeli military, while Airbnb is facing criticisms for having business in the occupied West Bank, and Lockheed Martin for producing weapons used by the Israeli military.
Divestment
Regarding divestment, three universities are considering it. Apart from collecting tuition fees from students, universities in the US also rely on investments or donations from individuals, companies, and institutions. According to US Department of Education data in 2023, in 100 universities, the value of external investments reached 375 million US dollars.
Police arrested students participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Texas Austin, United States, on April 24 2024.
Todd Ely, a Professor of Public Policy at the University of Colorado Denver, stated in an interview with NPR on April 30, 2024, that this private investment went into the university's endowment funds. These are perpetual funds that are used, among other things, to provide scholarships, support the operations of the higher education institution, as well as conduct research and development.
"Divestment will not affect the company and industry's economy. It may even risk threatening the campus operational funding if not done carefully," he said.
Also read: US Campuses Begin Suspension of Pro-Palestinian Protesting Students
In truth, divestment is not a new concept in higher education in the United States. In the 1980s, students successfully pressured universities to divest from companies that supported the apartheid government in South Africa.
US police officers are on guard after clashes occurred at the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles on May 1, 2024.
In 1997, universities divested from cigarette companies. They deemed it unethical for universities to conduct studies on public health while receiving money from tobacco companies.
In 2005, Stanford University divested from individuals, companies, and institutions indirectly supporting genocide in Darfur, Sudan. However, Yale University rejected divestment from weapon manufacturers and military technology companies. The reason being that weaponry is also important for national defense and law enforcement.
Also read: New York Police Raid Columbia University, Germany Can Still Send Weapons to Israel
To PBS media, Kolese Davidson Education Studies lecturer Chris Marsicano explained that this divestment is not solely aimed at hitting the industry. He cited the divestment from companies involved in apartheid South Africa that had no impact on corporate earnings.
"However, divestment had a big influence on political pressure which ultimately made South Africa reform, leaving behind apartheid," he said.
