Student Association- You've Failed.

Last night, the George Washington University Student Association (SA) passed a bill calling for the University’s divestment from American companies who have provided materials or weapons used for Israeli military action. 

This bill disgracefully equated the conditions under which Palestinians live with the experience of Blacks in Apartheid South Africa.

This legislation was pushed through with a vote from Brady Forrest, an SA senator who was just condemned for Anti-Semitism after Facebook posts surfaced in which he called for a boycott of a multicultural student fair due to its inclusion of Jewish student groups.

This legislation passed without acknowledging that foreign aid is funneled by the Palestinian Authority directly into the pockets of terrorists and their families, and invested into weaponry and the construction of terror tunnels intended for use by terrorists to sneak into Israel and murder its citizens.

This bill passed without acknowledging the full political and social rights and equality enjoyed by all citizens of Israel, Arab or Jewish.

This bill passed without acknowledging the $ 4 billion the Israeli government is investing in the social and economic advancement of minority communities in Israel, including Palestinians. 

This legislation passed.

As for the student speeches: those either for or against the bill followed parallel patterns. Those opposed to the bill constantly expressed their fervent support for the Palestinian people, and multiple speakers cited the allegations of corruption against member of the current Israeli government. 

Those who spoke in support, however, failed to mention the right of Jewish students on campus to feel comfortable identifying as proud  Zionists. And not one student condemned the chronic corruption in both the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank and the Hamas government governing Gaza, which directly accounts for the low standard of living in both Gaza and the West Bank. 

If this bill is intended to accelerate peace by way of “ending the occupation”, why didn’t the authors of the bill at least try to achieve some level of balance by citing the faults of Palestinians as well? The claims that this legislation is not Anti-Semitic is a lie due to its omission of any mention of the crimes against humanity committed by Palestinian political institutions and terrorists against Jews as well as their own people. 

Ismail Heniyeh, the a senior political leader of Hamas in Gaza, said "The Hamas movement will lead Intifada after Intifada until we liberate Palestine – all of Palestine, Allah willing.” If Palestinians elected officials don't want peace, inciting their people to violence and murder instead, how can the SA propose a bill that solely condemns Israel when the democratically elected government in Gaza openly and routinely calls for the destruction of the Jewish state?

The bill includes clauses listing the death toll of Palestinians during their wars with Israel.  Civilian casualties are an unfortunate outcome of war. But, statistically, the death of Palestinians are strikingly more likely due to the misplacement of funds donated for the increased safety

and wellbeing of Palestinians.

The Israeli government cares for its people, Hamas demonstrably doesn’t. Gaza receives billions in foreign aid. Why haven't we seen it put work? Simply, because Hamas uses that money to build tunnels in to Israel, to buy rockets and weapons, and to line the pockets of selfish leaders the Palestinians have elected (Moussa Abu Marzouk is worth $ 2-3 billion, Khaled Mashaal is worth 2.6 billion, and the list of millionaires goes on...) 

When Israel digs underground they build shelters to protect their citizens. When Hamas digs underground they build terror tunnels to murder and kidnap Israelis. 

Be as critical of Israel as you like, at the end of the day political affiliations are individual choices. But this bill’s unfairness, lies, distortion and omission of fact, its failure condemn or even mention the horrible activities of Palestinian leadership against both Jews and their own people, all bring to light the true nature of this bill and why it has failed the Jewish and the Pro-Israel community.

It just another example of the epidemic spreading on so many US college campuses today: Anti-Semitism masquerading as a human rights campaign.

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