National SJP calls on followers to resist ‘Zionist Pinkwashing’

The National Students for Justice in Palestine organization has condemned what it alleges is “Zionist Pinkwashing.” 

In the June 14 post on Instagram titled “NO PRIDE IN GENOCIDE,” the National SJP urged followers to “RESIST ZIONIST PINKWASHING.” 

“Pinkwashing” is a term used by anti-Israel activists to seemingly explain away Israel’s tolerance for LGBT-identifying people as a mere propaganda ploy. 

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In its post, the National SJP alleges that “[t]hrough pinkwashing, Israel puts on a facade of social progress by portraying itself as a uniquely ‘queer-friendly’ place and ‘safe haven’ for LGBTQ+ folks to legitimize colonialism, distract from its violence, and promote a false image of democracy.” 

The anti-Israel group added that “[t]he mass murder and continuous displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and across historic Palestine should not be justified in the name of queer rights or so-called progressive politics.” 

The SJP expressed its opposition to critics who point out that LGBT-identifying people are persecuted in the West Bank and Gaza and in the broader Muslim world, citing an Israeli comedy show that “mocked pro-Palestine Columbia University students with the line, ‘You can come to Gaza anytime and we will throw you from the roof, you homosexual dirt.’”

The SJP claimed that this joke “underscores how pinkwashing is deeply entrenched within a broader framework of anti-Arab, Islamophobic, and orientalist discourses, perpetuating stereotypes that vilify Palestinians and their allies while pinkwashing Zionism’s ongoing colonial violence, displacement, and oppression.” 

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LGBT-identifying people face hard lives and persecution in Palestinian-controlled territories, with some even fleeing to Israel for refuge. 

“We must resist all forms of pinkwashing and normalization which seek to legitimize and justify the colonization of our people as we continue the struggle for Palestinian liberation. From Pride parades to university events, we demand the end to the participation and sponsorship of weapons manufacturers and corporations that profit from war and are complicit in genocide,” the group concluded. 

Campus Reform has contacted The National Students for Justice in Palestine for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.