Anti-Israel sentiment is at a fever pitch in Columbia University this month, as progressive activists rally against Israel in a series of events as part of a global “Israel Apartheid Week.” The events coincide with the 100th anniversary of Israel’s establishment as a nation, which activists have declared to be “stolen land.”
Jewish students countered the anti-Israel events by proudly wearing shirts bearing the word “Zionist” and accused the activists of spreading lies about the state.
Negative sentiment towards Israel has increased in recent years, as student-activists proudly declare their support for Palestine and express hostility towards the state. Per The College Fix, events organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) – a coalition between Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and other student groups – are being held throughout the campus this month. Student activists are demanding that Columbia boycotts Israeli products.
Posters titled “No Peace on Stolen Land” were distributed throughout campus grounds, inviting students to reject the “occupation” of Palestine, and to hear words by Maile Hampton, a self-described “genderfluid organizer and water protector” who was vocal in her protests of the North Dakota pipeline. Maile was previously arrested for an altercation during a protest—but charges were later dropped.
Another poster titled “Zionism is Racism” called for students to attend a speech on Monday by Barney Pityana, a South African who once led the Black Consciousness Movement against apartheid. He drew parallels between apartheid-era South Africa and Israel.
Other events included a rally for pro-Palestinian activism and a talk with Professor Joseph Massad, who denounced Israel’s strict immigration policies as “racist.”
Jewish students opposed to the events were vocal in their objections to the anti-Zionist and, in some cases, brazenly anti-Semitic displays of bigotry.
“Columbia University Apartheid Divest spreads misinformation about the Israel-Palestinian conflict and is counter-productive to the peace process,” wrote pro-Zionist student and Aryeh press officer Leeza Hirt to The Fix.
She said that posters like “Zionism is Racism” included bigoted attacks against students on campus who identify as Zionists, and that the progressive activists “apply a double standard to Jews” by calling Zionist nationalism a form of racism while celebrating Palestinian nationalism, which calls for the eradication of Israel.
Hirt’s student organization, Aryeh, held its own counter-protest events on campus, including a talk explaining the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The organization also called for Columbia reject demands to divest from Israeli companies.
Students who wore “Zionist” t-shirts told The Fix that they were doing so to show that they believed Israel had the same right to self-determination as any other nation.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
