End Israeli Apartheid Weeks Students must regain control of their campuses

By Marian Pinsky
Special to The Suburban

“Zionism is racism!” “Israel is an apartheid state!” “Free Palestine!” “I don’t have to address your question—we’re not in an Israeli interrogation room!” Such are some of the assertions that abounded during the infamous Israeli Apartheid Week; an annual event which has taken an international presence in over forty university campuses since its inception at the University of Toronto in 2005.

A week dedicated to “raising awareness” and promoting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign (BDS), IAW has grown in scope, particularly after the recent events in Gaza. Aligning itself with student groups ranging from indigenous advocacy to social justice alternatives, IAW has alienated Jewish students and those wishing for a balanced portrayal of relevant facts. Invoking the specter of Apartheid, flaunting accusations of racism and colonialism, using and abusing the rhetoric of human rights, attributing one-sided blame for the problems affecting the Palestinians, and effectively closing down any endeavors for dialogue or discussion, characterize this week dedicated to delegitimizing Israel.

Universities have degenerated into sites of contentious debate and venues from which to promote political agendas. Double standards abound. Convenient de-contextualized assertions which single out and hold Israel to utopian standards serve to influence and manipulate impressionable young minds. Dr. Robbie Sabel of the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs denounces the “campaign to delegitimize Israel with the false claim of apartheid” as a case of a “calumny” or a “deliberately malicious misrepresentation of the facts about a particular matter in order to ruin the reputation of whomever is its target”, causing irreparable damage and projecting an attitude of skepticism onto Israel. The Palestinian cause has become the new “sympathy case” of victimized peoples and, increasingly, the focus of social justice efforts.

The sixth anniversary of IAW demonstrates how there has been a hijacking of institutions of higher learning, where claims of academic freedom are exploited for political agendas. The university has become a locale in which distortions, insinuations, often unsubstantiated accusations, and unbalanced portrayals of complex situations have found a voice: the antithesis of what one would expect from the academy.

Who are the supporters of a week promoting such a condemning view of Israel? While Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) has been the most visible proponent of  IAW, other groups have jumped on this bandwagon. From Gender and Queer Advocacy associations to fair trade and food cooperatives, there has been a growing connection between movements promoting anti-colonial policies, food politics and alternatives, with those advocating for the BDS Campaign. Many groups argue that aligning with the Palestinian cause is congruent with their efforts against colonialism, militarization, and the subjection of the rights of indigenous peoples to self-determination.

The accordance and complacency of university students is assumed through tuition levies with the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) in which funds are automatically siphoned, often unacknowledged, from students’ fees, in order to fund a number of groups including Tadamon!, an avowedly anti-Israel group. The connection between the promotion of social and political alternatives has become so intertwined with an anti-Israel stance that it is often presumed that backing one event insinuates the support of this hate-fest, much to the dismay of Zionist social activists.

IAW has materialized itself differently on each university campus, ranging from intimidation tactics to physical and emotional displays, with a healthy dose of propaganda accompanied by distorted information. It has infiltrated structures and systems in the form of anti-Israel General Assembly motions and fee levies to groups like QPIRG.

Far from being a issue restricted to the Jewish community, this should concern anyone valuing a balanced presentation of the facts and a true commitment to freedom and justice for all.  And if you ever become discouraged fighting intolerance, remember the words of Margaret Mead, who wrote, “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world; indeed, that is the only thing that has.”
Marian Pinsky is a Masters Candidate in Sociology at Concordia University.