A group of university students at the prestigious Harvard University "Harvard Jewish Coalition for Peace", an "anti-Zionist" group that aims to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and combat anti-Semitism at the same time.
The coalition itself is a "Jewish anti-Zionist organization" focused on combating anti-Semitism by "supporting marginalized groups and creating spaces and activities for Jewish students outside the Harvard Hillel (Zionist) organization," according to a public statement on the organization´s page on Wednesday.
"The Jewish Alliance for Peace at Harvard University is a new organization based on the idea that Jewish liberation is closely related to the liberation of all people," the statement said.
The coalition was established after discussions on the human rights of Palestinians during the Israeli "Apartheid (Apartheid)" week - organized by the Harvard University Solidarity Committee for Palestine - in the spring of 2019.
The statement says: "We are building on a long history of anti-Jewish anti-Zionism that teaches us that Jewish safety or liberation will never be achieved at the expense of the lives and lands of others, and we are committed to pursuing the initiative of the Palestinians and their leadership of the boycott support movement they lead, the withdrawal of investments and sanctions (BD). BDS) on and off Harvard University campus.
And the "BDS" movement is an international movement that works to "end international support for the suppression of the Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law," according to the movement´s website.
The announcement of the inaugural activity of the coalition - titled "The Jewish Case for Supporting the Jewish Case for BDS" and sent to the Zionist Student Hillel Organization - sparked quick criticism last Saturday (February 8, 2020), especially since it was sent on Saturday. , A time when some Jews abstained from using technology, which she considered "a very disappointing message."
Pro-Israel denounced the Harvard Jewish Coalition for Peace initiative, claiming that “in the end, BDS is not related to human rights or social justice, it is not about ending the occupation. It is not about Israeli human rights violations. It is related to ending the Jewish state, "says one Hillel member.
Others of Hillel´s members claimed that "even if they (the Harvard Jewish Coalition for Peace) claimed to be committed to combating anti-Semitism, this new organization is, even if unintentionally, allied with groups that have historically sought to suppress Jews, the fact that Opposing the policies of Israel or the government is a matter, and rejecting its legitimacy is a completely different matter.
President Hillel Rebecca S. Araten in an email that Hillel is committed to "an active and constructive relationship" with Israel, rather than a relationship of "alienation and slander."
She added, "Israel is a vital crucible of modern Jewish culture, and the home of nearly half of the world´s Jewish population," stressing: "We are against BDS, and all efforts that seek to delegitimize the State of Israel."
It is reported that the general statement of the "Harvard Jewish Coalition for Peace" indicated that the coalition does not claim to represent the majority of Jewish students at Harvard University, but hopes to make room for those who agree with their mission and feel "alienated and excluded" by Harvard Hillel.
The formation of the new coalition to support Palestinian rights comes amid a high rate of support for the Palestinians ’right to end the occupation in American universities.
