11 dec 2019
Executive order will broaden existing working definition of anti-Semitism to that of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance; Israel welcomes move, with FM calling it 'important step in fight against BDS movement'
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Wednesday that would treat "Jewishness" as a nationality and not just a religion, making anti-Semitism subject to a law that bars discrimination on the basis of national origin at educational institutions that receive federal funding.
The move is intended to target those colleges and universities that fail to combat anti-Semitism, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
In the order, Trump is expected to tell the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism - which can include criticism of Israel - when evaluating discrimination complaints under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin.
One U.S. official said Trump's order would make it clear that Title VI will apply to anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA. That definition says anti-Semitism may include "targeting of the State of Israel" and singling it out for criticism above other nations.
The order, which is likely to draw criticism from free speech advocates, will broaden the federal government's definition of anti-Semitism and instruct it to be used in enforcing laws against discrimination on college campuses, according to three U.S. officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Title VI bars discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin at colleges and universities that receive federal funding. One official said Trump's order would make it clear that Title VI will apply to anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA. That definition says anti-Semitism may include "targeting of the State of Israel."
Previous attempts to clarify and codify the application of Title VI to anti-Semitic acts have become bogged down in debates over whether Judaism should be seen as race or is indicative of a national origin.
Free-speech advocates have also expressed concerns that a broader definition of anti-Semitism might be used to limit criticism of Israeli government actions.
Still, a second official insisted the order was not intended to limit freedom of expression and was not aimed at suppressing the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement known as BDS that aims to support Palestinian aspirations for statehood by refusing to purchase Israeli products or invest in Israeli companies. The movement is on the rise, sparking tensions on many college campuses.
The movement, however, has received a bipartisan rebuke in the U.S. Congress and many states have passed anti-BDS measures.
Trump has urged allies to rein in the boycott movement, while its backers deny anti-Semitism charges and describe themselves as critical of Israeli decision-making, not Jews.
A third official said the order was a response to an alarming rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents on campuses and would mean that Jewish students who are discriminated against for their religion have the same kind of recourse as black students who are victimized by racism.
The Republican Jewish Coalition applauded the move, with the group's chairman, former Sen. Norm Coleman, calling it "a truly historic and important moment for Jewish Americans" and hailing Trump as "the most pro-Jewish president" in the nation's history.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday also lauded Trump's move and urged more countries to adopt similar measures.
"I congratulate U.S. President Donald Trump on his intention to sign an executive order to combat anti-Semitism in U.S. universities and colleges and withholding federal funding from institutions that will fail to prevent anti-Semitism on their grounds," said Katz.
"As part of the order, Judaism will be defined as both a religion and a nationality, enabling a more effective fight against the anti-Israel boycott movement on campuses.
"In addition, the administration is expected to adopt the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism which defines anti-Israelism as anti-Semitism. These are very significant steps in the fight against ongoing anti-Semitism and the boycott movements. I urge more countries to adopt similar measures."
The Trump administration has previously acted to constrain perceived campus anti-Semitism, last year reopening a case of alleged discrimination against Jewish students at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Trump delivered a speech on Saturday night that featured remarks from a recent New York University graduate who had accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students from harassment.
On the other hand, Trump has been accused of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes, including comments about Jews and money. But he has also closely aligned himself with Israel, including moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and taking a hard line against Iran.
The Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism found white supremacist propaganda on campuses up 7% from the last academic year, which ended this May. Anti-Semitic incidents at colleges and universities, however, have slightly gone down with 201 recorded incidents in 2018 as opposed to 204 incidents in the previous year.
The ADL and the Academic Engagement Network released model guidelines for faculty in November after two instructors at the University of Michigan declined to write letters of recommendation for students seeking to study abroad in Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Wednesday that would treat "Jewishness" as a nationality and not just a religion, making anti-Semitism subject to a law that bars discrimination on the basis of national origin at educational institutions that receive federal funding.
The move is intended to target those colleges and universities that fail to combat anti-Semitism, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
In the order, Trump is expected to tell the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism - which can include criticism of Israel - when evaluating discrimination complaints under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin.
One U.S. official said Trump's order would make it clear that Title VI will apply to anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA. That definition says anti-Semitism may include "targeting of the State of Israel" and singling it out for criticism above other nations.
The order, which is likely to draw criticism from free speech advocates, will broaden the federal government's definition of anti-Semitism and instruct it to be used in enforcing laws against discrimination on college campuses, according to three U.S. officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Title VI bars discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin at colleges and universities that receive federal funding. One official said Trump's order would make it clear that Title VI will apply to anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA. That definition says anti-Semitism may include "targeting of the State of Israel."
Previous attempts to clarify and codify the application of Title VI to anti-Semitic acts have become bogged down in debates over whether Judaism should be seen as race or is indicative of a national origin.
Free-speech advocates have also expressed concerns that a broader definition of anti-Semitism might be used to limit criticism of Israeli government actions.
Still, a second official insisted the order was not intended to limit freedom of expression and was not aimed at suppressing the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement known as BDS that aims to support Palestinian aspirations for statehood by refusing to purchase Israeli products or invest in Israeli companies. The movement is on the rise, sparking tensions on many college campuses.
The movement, however, has received a bipartisan rebuke in the U.S. Congress and many states have passed anti-BDS measures.
Trump has urged allies to rein in the boycott movement, while its backers deny anti-Semitism charges and describe themselves as critical of Israeli decision-making, not Jews.
A third official said the order was a response to an alarming rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents on campuses and would mean that Jewish students who are discriminated against for their religion have the same kind of recourse as black students who are victimized by racism.
The Republican Jewish Coalition applauded the move, with the group's chairman, former Sen. Norm Coleman, calling it "a truly historic and important moment for Jewish Americans" and hailing Trump as "the most pro-Jewish president" in the nation's history.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday also lauded Trump's move and urged more countries to adopt similar measures.
"I congratulate U.S. President Donald Trump on his intention to sign an executive order to combat anti-Semitism in U.S. universities and colleges and withholding federal funding from institutions that will fail to prevent anti-Semitism on their grounds," said Katz.
"As part of the order, Judaism will be defined as both a religion and a nationality, enabling a more effective fight against the anti-Israel boycott movement on campuses.
"In addition, the administration is expected to adopt the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism which defines anti-Israelism as anti-Semitism. These are very significant steps in the fight against ongoing anti-Semitism and the boycott movements. I urge more countries to adopt similar measures."
The Trump administration has previously acted to constrain perceived campus anti-Semitism, last year reopening a case of alleged discrimination against Jewish students at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Trump delivered a speech on Saturday night that featured remarks from a recent New York University graduate who had accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students from harassment.
On the other hand, Trump has been accused of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes, including comments about Jews and money. But he has also closely aligned himself with Israel, including moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and taking a hard line against Iran.
The Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism found white supremacist propaganda on campuses up 7% from the last academic year, which ended this May. Anti-Semitic incidents at colleges and universities, however, have slightly gone down with 201 recorded incidents in 2018 as opposed to 204 incidents in the previous year.
The ADL and the Academic Engagement Network released model guidelines for faculty in November after two instructors at the University of Michigan declined to write letters of recommendation for students seeking to study abroad in Israel.
(photo: Palestinians are expelled from their homes at gunpoint during the Nakba of 1948.)
Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) / Palestine
On the anniversaries of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and UN Resolution 194 affirming Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes, the BDS movement insists on “the full menu of rights” for the indigenous Palestinians.
Exactly 71 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), whose preamble states that “the recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” Anchored in this historic declaration, the BDS movement rejects racism and discrimination in all forms and aspires to achieve the Palestinian people’s “full menu of rights.”
For the absolute majority of the indigenous people of Palestine the most important right on that “menu” is the right of our refugees to return to their homes and lands of origin, from which they were ethnically cleansed by Zionist militias, and later the Israeli army, during the 1948 Nakba.
“I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.” — Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu
This right, which was explicitly adopted in UNGA Resolution 194 merely one day after the UNGA adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has a solid foundation in that Declaration. It is also enshrined in the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and other tenets of international law.
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine has continued over the last seven decades, amounting to an ongoing Nakba. Today, more than 68% of the people of Palestine are refugees or internally displaced persons, denied their basic right to return home by Israel’s far-right regime of military occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid.
This is precisely why the BDS Call, issued by the largest coalition in Palestinian society in 2005, insists on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands, along with the right to live free from foreign occupation and apartheid.
Anti-Palestinian arguments that reject the Palestinian refugees’ inalienable right to return are racist, as they dehumanize Palestinians, denying us what is due to all other humans. They are directly or indirectly intended to maintain Israel’s status as an apartheid “Jewish state” with dozens of racist laws that serve to racially dominate and discriminate against the indigenous Palestinians. Every morally-consistent human rights defender should condemn such racism and ethnic supremacy without reservation.
Seventy one years after the UDHR and UNGA Resolution 194, what is needed is accountability to international law and effective pressure to dismantle Israel’s regime of colonial subjugation and apartheid, including the decades-long denial of our refugees’ rights. Boycotting Israeli and international companies and banks, as well as academic and cultural institutions, that are complicit in Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity is more crucial than ever. Divesting from multinationals that support Israeli apartheid is a moral and legal obligation, not a charitable act.
Imposing a military embargo on Israel’s far-right regime, as was done against apartheid South Africa, is urgently called for, not just for the sake of Palestinians, but also for the sake of all oppressed communities worldwide. Israel’s “field-tested” military doctrines, weapons and “security” systems are playing a major role in the crimes — including genocide and ethnic cleansing — perpetrated by despotic and murderous regimes in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, the Arab world and elsewhere.
The BDS logic of nonviolent pressure, accountability and moral consistency is needed now more than ever in pursuit of what the UDHR aimed to achieve–freedom, justice, dignity and peace. After all, everyone is entitled to the full menu of human rights.
Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) / Palestine
On the anniversaries of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and UN Resolution 194 affirming Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes, the BDS movement insists on “the full menu of rights” for the indigenous Palestinians.
Exactly 71 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), whose preamble states that “the recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” Anchored in this historic declaration, the BDS movement rejects racism and discrimination in all forms and aspires to achieve the Palestinian people’s “full menu of rights.”
For the absolute majority of the indigenous people of Palestine the most important right on that “menu” is the right of our refugees to return to their homes and lands of origin, from which they were ethnically cleansed by Zionist militias, and later the Israeli army, during the 1948 Nakba.
“I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.” — Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu
This right, which was explicitly adopted in UNGA Resolution 194 merely one day after the UNGA adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has a solid foundation in that Declaration. It is also enshrined in the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and other tenets of international law.
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine has continued over the last seven decades, amounting to an ongoing Nakba. Today, more than 68% of the people of Palestine are refugees or internally displaced persons, denied their basic right to return home by Israel’s far-right regime of military occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid.
This is precisely why the BDS Call, issued by the largest coalition in Palestinian society in 2005, insists on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands, along with the right to live free from foreign occupation and apartheid.
Anti-Palestinian arguments that reject the Palestinian refugees’ inalienable right to return are racist, as they dehumanize Palestinians, denying us what is due to all other humans. They are directly or indirectly intended to maintain Israel’s status as an apartheid “Jewish state” with dozens of racist laws that serve to racially dominate and discriminate against the indigenous Palestinians. Every morally-consistent human rights defender should condemn such racism and ethnic supremacy without reservation.
Seventy one years after the UDHR and UNGA Resolution 194, what is needed is accountability to international law and effective pressure to dismantle Israel’s regime of colonial subjugation and apartheid, including the decades-long denial of our refugees’ rights. Boycotting Israeli and international companies and banks, as well as academic and cultural institutions, that are complicit in Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity is more crucial than ever. Divesting from multinationals that support Israeli apartheid is a moral and legal obligation, not a charitable act.
Imposing a military embargo on Israel’s far-right regime, as was done against apartheid South Africa, is urgently called for, not just for the sake of Palestinians, but also for the sake of all oppressed communities worldwide. Israel’s “field-tested” military doctrines, weapons and “security” systems are playing a major role in the crimes — including genocide and ethnic cleansing — perpetrated by despotic and murderous regimes in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, the Arab world and elsewhere.
The BDS logic of nonviolent pressure, accountability and moral consistency is needed now more than ever in pursuit of what the UDHR aimed to achieve–freedom, justice, dignity and peace. After all, everyone is entitled to the full menu of human rights.
|
Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)/ France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland
The second global AXA Day of Action included mobilizations all around the world, on the same day as the UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and the 4th global climate strike. The second global AXA Day of Action included mobilizations all around the world. This Day fell on the UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and the day of the 4th global climate strike. Though AXA has just pledged new climate commitments and policies on |
coal, it still invests hundreds of millions of dollars in fossil fuels and insures polluting businesses.
Furthermore, a July report by SumOfUs, “AXA: Financing war crimes” [pdf] shows that AXA invest $91 million in Israel’s largest private arms company, Elbit Systems, and in five Israeli banks which finance Israel’s illegal settlements.
Israel’s weapons and its expanding settlements are destroying Palestinian lives and the environment.
The struggle for social, political and climate justice in Palestine and worldwide are deeply connected. This fact sheet explains why Palestine is also a climate justice issue.
On social media, this word cloud shows that #climatestrike and #bds were among the most used hashtags next to #KnowYouCan, Axa’s official hashtag.
“Apartheid” and “divest” were some of the most used words next to Axa’s #KnowYouCan tweets.
Over a 1,000 emails were sent to AXA CEO’s in France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.
On the ground over 10 cities organised events. In Belgium a letter signed by 21 organisations to AXA CEO Jef Van was delivered in front of the main AXA office in Brussels and Leuven. Progressive media outlets covered the events in Belgium.
Organisers in Berlin joined the 4th climate strike rally using the banners “Apartheid is not green” and raising awareness on Israel’s destruction of Palestinian land and oppression of the Palestinian people.
This Day of Action built on the previous international Day of Action in April. Since then, SumOfUs has published the report “AXA: Financing war crimes” [pdf] confirming AXA’s $91 million investment in the top five Israeli banks directly financing the settlements and in Elbit Systems.
These investments are mainly held through AXA’s affiliate Equitable Holdings and AXA’s fully-owned subsidiary AXA IM.
Last week AXA announced it has largely divested from AXA Equitable Holdings. This is a positive step, but AXA still holds 9.64% of Equitable Holdings shares which means it is still responsible for the latter’s investments in Israeli crimes.
We will keep on campaigning until AXA fully divests from Israeli banks and Elbit Systems!
Furthermore, a July report by SumOfUs, “AXA: Financing war crimes” [pdf] shows that AXA invest $91 million in Israel’s largest private arms company, Elbit Systems, and in five Israeli banks which finance Israel’s illegal settlements.
Israel’s weapons and its expanding settlements are destroying Palestinian lives and the environment.
The struggle for social, political and climate justice in Palestine and worldwide are deeply connected. This fact sheet explains why Palestine is also a climate justice issue.
On social media, this word cloud shows that #climatestrike and #bds were among the most used hashtags next to #KnowYouCan, Axa’s official hashtag.
“Apartheid” and “divest” were some of the most used words next to Axa’s #KnowYouCan tweets.
Over a 1,000 emails were sent to AXA CEO’s in France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.
On the ground over 10 cities organised events. In Belgium a letter signed by 21 organisations to AXA CEO Jef Van was delivered in front of the main AXA office in Brussels and Leuven. Progressive media outlets covered the events in Belgium.
Organisers in Berlin joined the 4th climate strike rally using the banners “Apartheid is not green” and raising awareness on Israel’s destruction of Palestinian land and oppression of the Palestinian people.
This Day of Action built on the previous international Day of Action in April. Since then, SumOfUs has published the report “AXA: Financing war crimes” [pdf] confirming AXA’s $91 million investment in the top five Israeli banks directly financing the settlements and in Elbit Systems.
These investments are mainly held through AXA’s affiliate Equitable Holdings and AXA’s fully-owned subsidiary AXA IM.
Last week AXA announced it has largely divested from AXA Equitable Holdings. This is a positive step, but AXA still holds 9.64% of Equitable Holdings shares which means it is still responsible for the latter’s investments in Israeli crimes.
We will keep on campaigning until AXA fully divests from Israeli banks and Elbit Systems!
9 dec 2019
Michael Arria
On Dec 2, Brown University’s Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies (ACCRIP) voted to recommend that the school divest from companies that facilitate Israeli human rights violations.
Six ACCRIP members voted in favor of divestment, two voted against it, and one member abstained.
The ACCRIP is comprised of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It “considers issues of ethical and moral responsibility in the investment policies of Brown University.”
“We recommend that the Brown Corporation exclude from Brown’s direct investments, and require Brown’s separate account investment managers to exclude from their direct investments, companies identified as facilitating human rights violations in Palestine,” reads the resolution. tweet
This past spring, 69% of Brown’s undergrad student body voted in favor of a referendum to divest from occupation-connected companies like Motorola, Boeing, and Raytheon. After that vote was dismissed by Brown University President Christina Paxson, members of the group Brown Divest have repeatedly presented their case to ACCRIP, while Brown Students for Israel and JStreet members have argued against such a vote.
“I am really excited that ACCRIP took this step towards divestment,” Jewish Voice for Peace student group member Tal Frieden told The Brown Daily Herald, “We know that this is the first Ivy League university to recommend divestment from companies committing human rights violations in Palestine, and we’re really excited for other universities to join this movement.”
The decision is not binding, as the advisory body will now submit the recommendation of divestment to Paxson and await the university’s decision.
The Brown vote comes just days after Columbia University’s student council voted to hold a referendum on Israeli divestment in 2020. The group Columbia University Apartheid Divest has been pushing the ballot initiative for three years.
On Dec 2, Brown University’s Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies (ACCRIP) voted to recommend that the school divest from companies that facilitate Israeli human rights violations.
Six ACCRIP members voted in favor of divestment, two voted against it, and one member abstained.
The ACCRIP is comprised of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It “considers issues of ethical and moral responsibility in the investment policies of Brown University.”
“We recommend that the Brown Corporation exclude from Brown’s direct investments, and require Brown’s separate account investment managers to exclude from their direct investments, companies identified as facilitating human rights violations in Palestine,” reads the resolution. tweet
This past spring, 69% of Brown’s undergrad student body voted in favor of a referendum to divest from occupation-connected companies like Motorola, Boeing, and Raytheon. After that vote was dismissed by Brown University President Christina Paxson, members of the group Brown Divest have repeatedly presented their case to ACCRIP, while Brown Students for Israel and JStreet members have argued against such a vote.
“I am really excited that ACCRIP took this step towards divestment,” Jewish Voice for Peace student group member Tal Frieden told The Brown Daily Herald, “We know that this is the first Ivy League university to recommend divestment from companies committing human rights violations in Palestine, and we’re really excited for other universities to join this movement.”
The decision is not binding, as the advisory body will now submit the recommendation of divestment to Paxson and await the university’s decision.
The Brown vote comes just days after Columbia University’s student council voted to hold a referendum on Israeli divestment in 2020. The group Columbia University Apartheid Divest has been pushing the ballot initiative for three years.
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