Graduate students lose funding for Israel trip as result of pro-Palestine student activism

A boycott, divest, sanction (BDS) coalition of Georgetown University undergraduate and graduate students recently celebrated blocking funding for a university-sponsored educational trip to Israel, forcing the university to severe institutional ties with the trip organizer.

Georgetown’s Graduate Student Government (GradGov) had voted to allocate $30,000 for a student group trip to Israel through the organization International Trek (itrek). 

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On its website, the coalition accuses International Trek of presenting a false narrative on Israel, claiming that the state “forcibly expels Palestinians, takes away their lands and demolishes their homes” and has “murdered hundreds of Palestinians.” 

International Trek receives no funding from the Israeli government in support of its mission to “introduce [students] to Israel’s innovation, culture and complexity. Faculty-led trips for MBAs provide students with a for-credit trip to Israel and an itinerary customized to the coursework,” according to the nonprofit’s website. 

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The coalition had mounted a campaign through “email, public forums and private conversations with” GradGov, which acquiesced to the group’s demands within a week.

Coming off its success, the BDS coalition at Georgetown University signaled its hope that the success of the Georgetown University campaign would provide a template for other students “who wish to contest itrek trips.”

Campus Reform reached out to Georgetown University, Georgetown Israel Alliance, Students for Justice in Palestine at Georgetown University, and the Graduate Student Government at Georgetown University; this article will be updated accordingly. 

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