Le Socialiste
3rd August 2012, 21:12
Los Angeles, CA - For years, University of California (UC) leaders have walked a fine line between complying with First Amendment limitations on their power and placating pro-Israel interest groups agitating against the growing clout of Palestinian solidarity activism.
Under pressure, UC President Mark Yudof in 2010 commissioned two committees to issue reports on the so-called "campus climate". One focusing on Jewish students and the other on Arab and Muslim students, the new reports - which characterise criticism of Israel as an affront to Jewish students - have prompted many to believe that the UC intends to curb campus speech critical of Israel.
At their core, however, the reports demonstrate that UC not only has a free speech problem, but an equality problem.
Normalising support for Israel
The report about Jewish students is laden with ideological predispositions that undermine the credibility of its findings and recommendations regarding campus activism. One section of the report, for example, addresses what is called "The Anti-Zionism/Anti-Israel Movement and its Impact on Climate" (but which proponents of this movement call a movement for freedom, justice and equality).
By framing the issue in this way, the authors presume that Palestinian solidarity has an "impact" on campus climate, as if, prior to this movement's emergence, university campuses were characterised by some "normal" state of affairs in which all students felt welcome and equal. But that could not be further from the truth and the fact that this forms the starting point explains some of the report’s findings.
Although the report inquires into such matters as whether mock checkpoints and walls, die-ins and other demonstrations criticising human rights violations by Israel's occupying army negatively affect Jewish students, there is no similar inquiry into the "impact" frequent celebrations of Israel's creation and speeches by Israeli combatant soldiers and government officials might have on Jewish students who do not identify with Israel and its policies, or on Arab or Palestinian students whose families were killed or exiled as a result.
There is similarly no inquiry into whether on-campus recruitment for Jewish-only Birthright trips has an impact on non-Jewish students who have attempted to apply.
Instead, pro-Israel activities are described as such: "Israel advocacy organisations play an active role on each campus and have engaged outside agencies such as AIPAC, J Street, ADL, Stand With Us and many others in the effort to promote a deeper understanding for all students of the challenges which confront Israel, the Palestinians and the region as a whole."
Compare the way these movements are described - "Israel advocacy organisations" vs "Anti-Israel Movement" - and how their missions are understood, promoting a deeper understanding vs possibly creating a hostile climate.
The silence about the "impact" of pro-Israel events reflects an attitude that pro-Israel expressions are simply a positive part of the normal, benign landscape of campus life. At the same time, events presenting a critical view of Israel are perceived to be anomalous and alien, or, worse, divisive, as if students were previously unified in their love and support for Israel.
...
In contrast to the report on Jewish students, the report on Arab and Muslim students takes great care to distinguish between claims about reality and claims about Arab and Muslim students' "perceptions". The latter report refers to "real or perceived double-standards", "the actual and perceived handling of the Irvine 11", "perceived harassment", "real and perceived harm", "perceived lack of follow-up", "letters… perceived as inaccurate" and the like.
Although at times, the authors of the report on Jewish students distinguish between perception and objective truth, at crucial moments they also internalise and reproduce a number of those students' perceptions as truth, as demonstrated above.
...
Issued in tandem, the reports re-affirm the disproportionate influence wielded by pro-Israel groups over UC policies, a fact that causes widespread alienation amongst Arab and Muslim students. From the way they were commissioned to their framing and conclusions, the reports signal a gap between the way the University conceives of its Arab/Muslim students (as well as students who criticise Israel) and the way it conceives of Jewish students (as well as students who support Israel). It also reflects the varying degrees of influence wielded by different communities.
Pro-Israel Jewish organisations can prompt the UC to move a mile by pushing an inch. In contrast, Arab and Muslim community organisations and dissenting Jewish organisations must push a mile in order to move the UC an inch.
Whole article here (http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/08/201281103547957238.html).
Under pressure, UC President Mark Yudof in 2010 commissioned two committees to issue reports on the so-called "campus climate". One focusing on Jewish students and the other on Arab and Muslim students, the new reports - which characterise criticism of Israel as an affront to Jewish students - have prompted many to believe that the UC intends to curb campus speech critical of Israel.
At their core, however, the reports demonstrate that UC not only has a free speech problem, but an equality problem.
Normalising support for Israel
The report about Jewish students is laden with ideological predispositions that undermine the credibility of its findings and recommendations regarding campus activism. One section of the report, for example, addresses what is called "The Anti-Zionism/Anti-Israel Movement and its Impact on Climate" (but which proponents of this movement call a movement for freedom, justice and equality).
By framing the issue in this way, the authors presume that Palestinian solidarity has an "impact" on campus climate, as if, prior to this movement's emergence, university campuses were characterised by some "normal" state of affairs in which all students felt welcome and equal. But that could not be further from the truth and the fact that this forms the starting point explains some of the report’s findings.
Although the report inquires into such matters as whether mock checkpoints and walls, die-ins and other demonstrations criticising human rights violations by Israel's occupying army negatively affect Jewish students, there is no similar inquiry into the "impact" frequent celebrations of Israel's creation and speeches by Israeli combatant soldiers and government officials might have on Jewish students who do not identify with Israel and its policies, or on Arab or Palestinian students whose families were killed or exiled as a result.
There is similarly no inquiry into whether on-campus recruitment for Jewish-only Birthright trips has an impact on non-Jewish students who have attempted to apply.
Instead, pro-Israel activities are described as such: "Israel advocacy organisations play an active role on each campus and have engaged outside agencies such as AIPAC, J Street, ADL, Stand With Us and many others in the effort to promote a deeper understanding for all students of the challenges which confront Israel, the Palestinians and the region as a whole."
Compare the way these movements are described - "Israel advocacy organisations" vs "Anti-Israel Movement" - and how their missions are understood, promoting a deeper understanding vs possibly creating a hostile climate.
The silence about the "impact" of pro-Israel events reflects an attitude that pro-Israel expressions are simply a positive part of the normal, benign landscape of campus life. At the same time, events presenting a critical view of Israel are perceived to be anomalous and alien, or, worse, divisive, as if students were previously unified in their love and support for Israel.
...
In contrast to the report on Jewish students, the report on Arab and Muslim students takes great care to distinguish between claims about reality and claims about Arab and Muslim students' "perceptions". The latter report refers to "real or perceived double-standards", "the actual and perceived handling of the Irvine 11", "perceived harassment", "real and perceived harm", "perceived lack of follow-up", "letters… perceived as inaccurate" and the like.
Although at times, the authors of the report on Jewish students distinguish between perception and objective truth, at crucial moments they also internalise and reproduce a number of those students' perceptions as truth, as demonstrated above.
...
Issued in tandem, the reports re-affirm the disproportionate influence wielded by pro-Israel groups over UC policies, a fact that causes widespread alienation amongst Arab and Muslim students. From the way they were commissioned to their framing and conclusions, the reports signal a gap between the way the University conceives of its Arab/Muslim students (as well as students who criticise Israel) and the way it conceives of Jewish students (as well as students who support Israel). It also reflects the varying degrees of influence wielded by different communities.
Pro-Israel Jewish organisations can prompt the UC to move a mile by pushing an inch. In contrast, Arab and Muslim community organisations and dissenting Jewish organisations must push a mile in order to move the UC an inch.
Whole article here (http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/08/201281103547957238.html).