Student government resolution labels Israel an 'apartheid state,' encourages BDS
On November 8, the undergraduate Student Government at Case Western Reserve University passed a resolution in support of the anti-Israel BDS movement.
The resolution pressures the university 'to fully divest its assets from Israeli apartheid, the international military-industrial complex, and the international prison-industrial complex.'
On November 8, the undergraduate Student Government at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio passed a resolution in support of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.
The resolution, written by a pro-Palestinian activism group called “Students for Justice in Palestine” (SJP), pressures the university “to fully divest its assets from Israeli apartheid, the international military-industrial complex, and the international prison-industrial complex.”
The SJP maintains that the university is “culpable for the oppression of the Palestinian people,” that Israel “has conducted a military occupation of all Palestinian land since the June 1967 war,” and that “solidarity with the Palestinian people and Palestinian prisoners cannot be fully demonstrated without solidarity with all victims internationally of the global prison and military industrial complexes.”
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The day after the bill passed, university President Eric Kaler released a statement condemning the legislation for its anti-Semitic language and designating most of its content as “irrelevant.”
“At least thirteen of the 20 ‘whereas’ clauses are anti-Israel and several of the others are irrelevant,” Kaler wrote in the statement.
“The foundation of this resolution is profoundly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic,” he said. “Passing this resolution last night undermines the safety and comfort on our campus of members of our Jewish community.”
A statement released by the university’s student government condemns “any acts of hatred or discrimination towards any group on campus,” and encourages people to read the bill and meeting minutes.
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Campus Reform contacted the student government at the university for comment but was referred back to the statement on its website by USG Vice President of Communications Sedona Jolly. No other comments were provided.
Campus Reform reached out to the university, President Kaler, and Students for Justice in Palestine. This article will be updated accordingly.
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