Stop Pro-Israel “Lawfare” Bullying

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In the midst of Israel’s continuing clampdown on Palestinians under occupation and siege from East Jerusalem to Gaza, attempts to repress Palestinian rights activists here in the US continue.

Last week we asked you stand against this pro Israel bullying in Congress as it attempts to criminalize BDS. Yesterday Israel banned five interfaith leaders from traveling to Palestine. Today we need you to stand up to pro-Israel bullying on university campuses. 

Palestine activists at San Francisco State University have been under attack for years as right wing pro-Israel groups attempt to intimidate them and pressure the administration to shut them down. These attacks have been aimed at students as well as Palestinian scholar Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi. This June, the attacks culminated in a “Lawfare” suit against SFSU administrators, staff, and Dr. Rabab herself.

In one of the most recent examples, the San Francisco Hillel filed a baseless complaint against a committee of organizers from Latinx, Arab, and Muslim communities at SFSU after the organizers did not invite Hillel to have a table at a Know Your Rights Fair in February 2017. The organizers did not invite Hillel because of HIllel’s history threatening student rights. Hillel alleged it was excluded based on antisemitism. SFSU investigated and determined there was no religious discrimination, yet another example of Hillel making false and inflammatory charges of antisemitism.

Searching for a reason to punish the organizers of the Fair, SFSU found that they violated policy by “retaliating” against Hillel for its past actions. This charge was added at the last minute, and the organizers had little time to respond.

This “retaliation” finding by SFSU sets a dangerous precedent for how anti-Palestinian groups can pressure university administrators to bully activists on Israel’s behalf. We need you to make a quick phone call today to demand SFSU not allow itself to be used this way.

Call Dr. Timothy P. White, chancellor of the California State University, which SFSU is part of, at 562-951-4000.

Sample Script:

“My name is _____ and I am calling from ____. I disagree strongly with the university’s finding that the organizers of the Know Your Rights fair at San Francisco State engaged in retaliation against Hillel. I call on CSU to stop bullying Palestinian rights activists on campus and reverse this decision. I also urge CSU to vigorously defend the “Lawfare” suit against Professor Rabab Abdulhadi. CSU must stand up against targeting Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and their allies who have been facing harassment from racist, right wing organizations for years.”

Once you make your phone call, please take one minute to fill out this form to let us know how it went!

Repression of Palestine activism is not a new phenomenon but we must vigorously fight back against it especially in this political moment of increasing right wing attacks against so many movements for justice.