UCLA’s student government has passed a resolution accusing Israel of committing “ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinians. The resolution calls for the entire University of California school system to divest from “the war industry” and “sever itself from companies that engage or aid in the oppression of any people.”
It also promotes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolution passed by the UCLA student government in 2014.
UCLA’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, one of the groups that co-sponsored the resolution, celebrated its passage in an Instagram post, calling on the university to divest from “Israeli colonization and occupation of Palestine”:
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This attempt to delegitimize and isolate Israel is only the latest in a series of galling measures taken by students at prominent American universities. But the fact that a resolution comparing the only democracy in the Middle East to “South African apartheid” could pass at the University of California, Los Angeles — historically, a bastion of traditional liberalism — should act as a clarion call to supporters of the Jewish state to mobilize.
Indeed, the mainstreaming of antisemitism — in this instance, by applying double standards to Israel — is often presented under the guise of “anti-Zionism” and blanketed in terms promoting “social justice.” It nevertheless must be identified and countered.
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Israel & UCLA: A Special Relationship
In 1950, UCLA graduate Ralph Bunche (Class of 1927) became the first African-American to win a Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement as a United Nations mediator in brokering an armistice agreement between Israel and Arab states following the former’s declaration of independence.
The connection between the university and Jerusalem came to the fore again in 2010, when the UCLA Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies was established, making it the first academic center on the West Coast dedicated to the study of contemporary Zionism. Since the center’s founding, it has become one of the preeminent Israel-focused educational centers in the United States, if not the world.
Until very recently, this relationship helped make UCLA one of the top colleges for Jewish students in the US. Replete with Jewish fraternities, sororities, extracurricular clubs and related study programs, Jewish life on campus has long been synonymous with being a Bruin.
Anti-BDS Legislation Across the US, But What About College Campuses?
At its core, the UCLA student government’s resolution constitutes an attack on robust discourse regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict. By preventing students from developing thoughtful, nuanced views of the complex issue, proponents of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement have attempted to spread their nefarious positions.
For while the goal of BDS is purportedly to pressure Israel to end its military presence in the West Bank, leaders of the initiative are on record as saying that their ultimate aim is the eradication of Jewish self-determination.
This lack of transparency was evident in the way the resolution was passed. According to the president of Bruins for Israel Public Affairs Committee at UCLA:
We had no idea this resolution was coming up, and were not alerted by anyone ahead of time. The language of the resolution was not released ahead of the council meeting, making it impossible for any of the students to speak out on it.”
And though the UCLA student government issued an apology for the resolution being “inadvertently hidden from the Jewish community and the public at large,” the damage had already been done.
Related Reading: Hiding Behind Buzzwords: How BDS Spreads its Anti-Israel Agenda
Despite this shameful attempt by UCLA’s student government to single out Israel for condemnation, 32 US states have to date adopted policies and practices — whether through legislation or executive orders — to discourage, if not outlaw, BDS.
And in 2019, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the movement that:
…undermines the possibility for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by demanding concessions of one party alone and encouraging the Palestinians to reject negotiations in favor of international pressure.”
Time to Break BDS on Campus
But while the trend of anti-BDS legislation at the state and national levels is encouraging, the situation on college campuses appears to be reaching an inflection point. Accordingly, we encourage you to show support for students at UCLA during this particularly difficult period.
With so much at stake, now is the time to be proactive.
Or, to quote a former UCLA Bruin who became a Hall of Fame baseball player, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
The man who said that was Jackie Robinson.
Show your support for Students Supporting Israel at UCLA: [email protected]
