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Students for Justice in Palestine

Abbreviation	SJP
Formation	2001
Location	Various independent chapters across North America
Colors	Red, Green, White, Black
Affiliations	Palestine Solidarity Movement, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights
Website	http://sjpnational.org/

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is a college student activism organization in the United States and Canada that promotes the liberation and self-determination of Palestinian people. The goals of the organization are to strengthen the student movement for Palestinian rights and develop a better understanding of the situation in Palestine. The organization actively supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

As of 2010 SJP had more than 80 chapters at American universities. Some SJP chapters in the United States have adopted the name Palestine Solidarity Committee or Students for Palestinian Equal Rights. In Canada, SJP chapters have adopted the name Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA).

History

Students for Justice in Palestine was first established at the University of California, Berkeley in 2001 where the group organized the first Palestine Solidarity Movement (PSM) conference to coordinate corporate divestment from Israel efforts nationwide. PSM served as a national umbrella organization for SJP and other groups until it dissolved in 2006. In October 2011, SJP held their first national conference at Columbia University which was attended by 40 chapters.

The conference resolved on the organization's Points of Unity on October 16, 2011. The Points of Unity stated:

Students for Justice in Palestine is a student organization that works in solidarity with the Palestinian people and supports their right to self-determination. It is committed to ending Israel’s occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Separation Wall. It recognizes the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality. It calls for respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194.

SJP has used Facebook successfully to do outreach to individual and organize and promote events both on and off campus. Many chapters have hundreds of members and also use Twitter and other social media.ccountsing its reach and visibility, which can be somewhat attributed to the organization's use of online social media.

Demonstrations

"Free Speech Fight" at UC Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley chapter of SJP, formed in 2001, came to international attention in April 2002 when they chose the memorial of the Deir Yassin massacre to occupy a campus building and disrupt a midterm in progress for over 600 students as part of a protest against their university's investments in Israel. The occupation was broken up by police after warning the students of trespassing. Seventy-nine protesters were arrested, cited for trespassing, and, in some cases, resisting arrest. All but one were released. One protester wound up in jail, on a charge of felony battery after he bit a police officer. Following the arrests SJP was banned from operating at UCLA prompting SJP to begin a campaign against what they saw as the university attacking freedom of speech, assembly and protest. Over two hundred demonstrators turned out the month after on a national day of action, "Free Palestine! Free Speech!", to protest what they saw as the university's stifling of freedom of thought and protest as well as the universities continuing links with Israel.

Following the incident, UC Berkeley administrators gathered information that led them to believe that group that protesters would also try and seize a campus library.

In Auckland, New Zealand SJP has led demonstrations against the local weapons industry including parking a model of a bombed out ambulance outside the shareholder AGM of Rakon, a company that sells components to the IDF and US Military for use in guided munitions. It has also organised demonstrations outside the offices of Oscmar International to protest its selling of military training simulators to Israel. In July and August, 2006 the group organised a series of five protests against Israel's invasion of Lebanon. The first protest turned into an alleyway brawl between activists and police after one person lowered the US flag on the US consulate to half-mast and attempted to climb down a drainpipe and evade police.

In April 2011, Avi Dichter, Member of Knesset and member of Israel's centrist and Kadima party, was interrupted by protesters from a group of the Brandeis SJP, while speaking at Brandeis University. Several students got up out of their seats and called Dichter a war criminal, and accused him of torture and crimes against humanity.

Divestment at Hampshire College

Following a two-year campaign by SJP, in February 2009 the Board of Trustees at Hampshire College in Massachusetts agreed to divest from Caterpillar, United Technologies, General Electric, ITT Corporation, Motorola and Terex because of their connection to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. It was the first college to do so; thirty-two years earlier it was the first school to divest from South Africa due to its apartheid policies. The student campaign had focused on those corporations and school officials admitted their decision was related to the concerns raised by the group. But after students claimed victory, Hampshire College president, Ralph Hexter, said that decision to divest from certain companies was not aimed at Israel and criticized the pro-Palestinian students for suggesting otherwise, saying "I think they crossed the line of appropriate behavior.” SJP replied the college was shying away from the "political implications of its action". Alan Dershowitz agreed, calling for divestment from Hampshire College.

Princeton and DePaul campaign to boycott Sabra

Princeton University

On November 11, 2010, the SJP at Princeton — Princeton Committee on Palestine (PCP) — began collecting signatures to place a non-binding referendum that called on Princeton University to ban Sabra from campus. The referendum's wording was rephrased to call for alternatives to Sabra at Princeton. After complaints by a representative from Tigers for Israel on the technicality of rephrasing the referendum, the Student Government on November 20 decided that a new petition had to be submitted with 200 signatures to have a rephrased referendum. After two days, a new petition with the rephrased wording and 200 signatures was submitted to Student Government. After a week’s delay, the referendum was placed on the ballot on the week of November 29. Students voted down the referendum 1,014 to 699.

DePaul University

On November 11, 2010, SJP at DePaul University expressed concerns that Sabra supported the Israeli occupation. On November 19, the university temporarily suspended the sale of Sabra products and told campaign organizers that Sabra products are set to be removed from shelves for the remainder of the school quarter. On November 24, DePaul University reversed its stance to remove Sabra from campus by reinstating it in the dining halls.

On May 12, 2011, the DePaul SJP presented a non-binding referendum to the Student Government concerning Sabra. After deliberation, the Student Government decided to place the referendum on the ballot from May 16 to May 20. The student referendum was the first referendum on the ballot in over 10 years. The students voted to remove Sabra with 1,127 votes in favor of removing Sabra out of 1,467 votes cast. 332 students voted against the referendum, and 8 voted “other.” Although the referendum passed, it was not recorded as an official referendum because total voter turnout did not increase 1,500.

California BDS initiative

UC Irvine vote

On November 13, 2012, the University of California, Irvine Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution 16-0 to call on University of California to divest from companies that assist or directly profit from Israeli human rights abuses including Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, Sodastream, Raytheon and L-3 Communications. The President of UC Irvine Student Body praised the legislation by stating, “We are agents of change in this world.” The SJP chapter of UC San Diego lauded the Irvine Divest campaign.

Notes

1. ^ Students for Justice in Palestine, Anti-Defamation League website, April 27, 2010.
2. Organizations Resolve to Organize Nationally for Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine website, accessed April 18, 2013.
3. Daily Cal - 10 April 2002 - Israeli, Palestinian Backers Clash During Campus Rally
5. Berkeley Daily Planet- 3 May 2002- Pro-Palestine protesters rally for free speech
6. Daily Cal- 26 April 2002- Students Arrested During Protest May Be Suspended
7. McKenzie-Minifie, Martha (2 September 2006). "Excitement inside deafens protest". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
8. Jewish leftists disrupt Kadima MK speech at U.S. University
9. http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/12/headlines Hampshire College Becomes First US College to Divest from Israel], Democracy Now headlines, February 12, 2009.
10. Pro-Palestinian students, college debate divestment claim
11. Schworm, Peter (12 Feb 2009). "Hampshire College cuts ties with fund invested in Israel". Boston.com. Boston.com. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
12. "A BDS Debate at Princeton, with J Street, JVP, and me (this Wednesday)". maxblumenthal.com. 13 Dec 2010. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
13. Halder, Alaka (19 Nov 2010). "Students campaign for alternative hummus". The Daily Princetonian. The Daily Princetonian. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
14. Greene, Abby (22 Nov 2010). "Dipping in controversy: A look at Princeton's hummus debate". The Ink. University Press Club. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
15. Jackson, Rachel (29 Nov 2010). "After week's delay, voting on Sabra hummus referendum opens". The Daily Princetonian. The Daily Princetonian. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
16. ^ Lewin, Tamar (3 Dec 2010). "New Subject of Debate on Mideast: Hummus". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
17. Kishawi, Sami (19 Nov 2010). "DePaul 'divests' from Israeli hummus product". Sixteen Minutes to Palestine. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
18. Kishawi, Sami (22 Nov 2010). "Update on DePaul's temporary divestment from Sabra products: Official Statement". Sixteen Minutes to Palestine. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
19. Schanz, Jenn (17 May 2011). "SGA holds referendum on Sabra hummus". The DePaulia. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
20. McCraney, Lacey (17 May 2011). "Hummus Vote More Than Dip Debate at DePaul". NBC Chicago. NBC News. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
21. "DePaul students vote to boycott Sabra Hummus". BDSmovement.net. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
22. "Referendum to ban Israeli hummus at DePaul fails". ABC Local News. ABC News. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
23. Ceasar, Stephen (14 Nov 2012). "UC Irvine student leaders urge UC to divest from some companies". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-03-13. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
24. Request for Action by the Legislative Council, Resolution# R48-15, Divestment from Companies that Profit from Apartheid], University of California, Irvine website, accessed April 18, 2013.
25. Kolsy, Uzma (27 Nov 2012). "UC Irvine Students Vote to Divest From Israel". The Nation. The Nation. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
26. Moon, Sarah (19 Nov 2012). "UCI Passes Unanimous Divestment Resolution". University of California San Diego The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-03-13.

• Non-governmental organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• Advocacy groups
• Student political organizations
• Student political organizations in the United States