Student organizations at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law are facing backlash from their dean after adopting a statement pledging not to invite any Zionist or pro-Israel speakers to lecture. Law Students for Justice in Palestine at Berkeley Law posted an Aug. 21 Instagram post reporting that nine other student organizations have adopted a “pro-Palestine bylaw” stating that they “will not invite” speakers who support Zionism or “the apartheid state of Israel.” “In the interest of protecting the safety and well-being of Palestinian students on campus, [insert organization name] will not invite speakers who have expressed and continue to hold views or host/sponsor/promote events in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel and the occupation of Palestine,” the statute states. Law Students for Justice in Palestine at Berkeley Law reported that nine student organizations have adopted the statement, which excludes the invitation of Zionist speakers, including Berkeley Muslim Law Students, the Middle East and North African Law Students Association, Womxn of Color Collective, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Queer Caucus, Community Defense Project, Women of Berkeley Law, and Law Students of African Descent. ISRAEL’S PRIME MINISTER LAPID, DON’T TAKE BIDEN ON THE PHONE, ASKS FOR MEETING TO DISCUSS IRAN: REPORT Signage for the Berkeley Law School on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California, U.S., on Friday, June 4, 2021. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Fox News Digital has contacted all of the organizations listed. The pro-Palestinian student organization is also calling on “all Berkeley Law student organizations to take an anti-racist stance” by adopting a “pro-BDS bylaw.” Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky emailed the leaders of all student organizations and blasted the regulation, calling the statement “disturbing” and saying that if “taken literally” it would mean he could not speak to those organizations for his support for “the existence of Israel.” “It is troubling that a particular point of view is generally excluded from being expressed. Indeed, it would literally mean that I could not be invited to speak because I support the existence of Israel, although I condemn many of its policies,” he said. Chemerinsky. TWO MORE PALESTINIAN FREELANCERS ARRESTED FOR EXPOSING HITLER, TERRORISTS AFTER PAPER TIES TO ANOTHER UC Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky at his home in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) “Chancellor Carol Christ also spoke of how the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement “poses an immediate and serious threat to the academic freedom of our students and faculty, and to the unfettered exchange of ideas and perspectives on our campus, including debate and the reason for the conflicts in the Middle East,” he added. While stating that he supports the right of students to “take positions on this and all issues,” Chemerinsky said groups must be “sensitive to — and listen to — all of our students.” Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs, an educational organization that educates people about Israel and combats anti-Semitism, told Fox News Digital that these organizations should “rethink their ultimate goals.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The misrepresentation of Zionism is anti-Semitic and will never lead to peace. Half of the world’s Jews are in Israel, the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people, and the other half probably have friends and/or relatives living there. Denying the Jews the right to themselves -Determination creates double standards against only one country in the world. Those who lead discriminatory, anti-peace campaigns should rethink their ultimate goals and be honest about their prejudice against the Jewish people and of the only Jewish country in the world,” Rothstein said. . The Jewish Student Association at Berkeley Law said in a Medium post that it is concerned the statement “will disproportionately silence Jewish voices on campus.” “This regulation alienates many Jewish students from certain groups on campus. When considering which organizations to join, students should not be forced to choose between being labeled as either ‘pro-Palestinian’ and therefore ‘anti-Israel’ or ‘ pro-Israel’ and therefore ‘anti-Palestine’. This dichotomy distorts the complexity of this issue,” the group wrote. “Students can support the Palestinians and criticize Israeli policies without denying Israel the right existence or attack the identity of other students. To say otherwise is contrary to the dialogue around which our educational community is built. We are concerned that this regulation creates an environment in which only one view is acceptable.” Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @asabes10.
