by Valentina Herrera
The Anti-Defamation League listed the Students for Justice in Palestine, including FIU’s chapter, as one of the largest anti-Israel organizations in America. SJP members are outraged about being part of this list and leaders of SJP across the nation are looking to raise awareness about their view on the Israeli government’s violation of human rights.
“We locate ourselves in a legacy of social justice movements working for a free and just world,” said Mnar Muhareb, president of SJP.
The organizations on ADL’s list are selected according to the popularity generated to each group, the aptitude in which they arrange events and the relationships developed with similar organizations.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL’s national director, said that there are hundreds of groups that are involved and organize various anti-Israel activities.
“These groups are not promoting peace. They are spreading propaganda to assault Israel’s legitimacy,” said Foxman. “We want Americans to know whom these groups are and what it is they really stand for, which is to delegitimize the Jewish state.”
He went on to say that these groups use various campaigns to “demonize” Israel through the use of subjective messages that fail to take into account the intricacy between the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
A statement made by the ADL said that members of SJP routinely organize activities that present a biased view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On campuses all over the country, groups promoting Palestinian freedom have responded to these claims.
“We are united in our belief in justice, freedom and human rights for the Palestinian people,” said Muhareb. “We will continue to work for a just peace where Palestinians are free in their homeland and equals to Jewish Israelis.”
According to members of SJP, several Student Government leaders were sponsored by the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee to attend a summit being held in South Florida on Oct. 24 and 25.
“We requested them not to go to the summit because Israel commits human rights violations against Palestinians every year. We seek justice, not revenge,” SJP said in a written statement to Student Media.
An official statement was also released by Student Governing Council at Modesto Maidique Campus President Helena Ramirez, who said that they do not promote the views of AIPAC or any other organization unrelated to the activities of FIU.
According to SJP leaders, however, this was a false statement because AIPAC sponsored SGA’s trip, making it a clear conflict of interest as a political lobby was sponsoring students to conferences as well as trips to Israel.
On that same statement released by SGC-MMC, Ramirez mentioned the request for the Facebook event page titled “FIU-SGA Say No to AIPAC” to be removed.
“We find it unfortunate that students and student organizations at the [MMC] have published statements in regards to our relationship with AIPAC without requesting formal consultation and discussion with their elected student leaders,” said Ramirez.
However, Maxine Hylton, director of Graham Center said: “SJP members checked with me in regards to meeting a deadline for collection signatures for a cause, in which the student group was granted a table inside GC to do so.”
SJP leaders stated that they received support from more than 200 students to hold a protest against AIPAC.
A press conference was held on Oct. 21 where SGC-MMC Vice President Nick Autiello and Chief of Staff Alina Gonzalez addressed concerns students had regarding their scheduled attendance at the AIPAC Summit.
“They assured students present that they would be attending the summit as individuals seeking information as opposed to student body,” said Dean Williams, former SGC-MMC press secretary. “
It was also clarified at the press conference on Oct. 21, as well as in the statement issued on Oct. 20, that student activity and service fees were not used to fund attendance at the summit.”
Eventually, four out of six members of SGA who had originally planned to attend the AIPAC summit decided not to. Student Media reached out to Gonzalez and SGC-MMC Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Hector Mujica, neither of whom attended the summit, however, they were unavailable for comments. Ramirez and Autiello still went on to attend.
According to the statement released by SGC-MMC, while student leaders represent the views of the student body, each student is entitled to freely associate as he or she wishes individually.
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