A resolution distributed Monday afternoon by Northwestern University’s chapters of Palestine Justice Educators, Palestine Justice Students, and Jewish Voices for Peace calls on the university to protect the civil liberties of pro-Palestinian speech; It calls for severing ties with Israeli institutions.
The resolution has more than 140 signatures as of 6:38 p.m. Monday, and students across the country are protesting the university’s involvement in Israel’s war in Gaza, with some facing possible arrest. It was submitted in the midst of
On Thursday, more than 100 Columbia University students were arrested during a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” hosted by Columbia University SJP. The arrests prompted NU SJP, among other chapters across the country, to organize Friday rallies in solidarity with students.
“America’s academic institutions have become hostile spaces for anti-war, anti-apartheid, and pro-Palestinian speech,” Monday’s resolution reads. “Northwestern University is no exception, stifling speech and threatening students and educators.”
A wave of protests on university campuses comes after more than 34,000 Palestinians were killed in Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli ground and air attacks follow an Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas that killed about 1,200 Israelis, Israeli officials said.
The signatories of the resolution call on University President Michael Schill to condemn the alleged harassment and censorship of pro-Palestinian students on campus.
In November, Schill announced the creation of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Anti-Semitism and Hate, but faced backlash from students and faculty for not calling more attention to Islamophobia on campus. In his January announcement, Mr. Sill listed Islamophobia as one of several forms of hate the commission plans to address.
And in February, Mr. Schill announced the creation of a Presidential Advisory Council on Free Expression and Institutional Speech.
NU’s Israel Innovation Project, which fosters academic partnerships with Israeli institutions, was also subject to Monday’s resolution. The signatories called on the university to discontinue IIP and other collaborations with Israeli institutions. They also called on the NU to take a public position advocating for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Although NU does not explicitly disclose all investments, several board members have served as executives in companies that supply weapons to Israel. The resolution calls for NU to divest from all defense stocks and all companies that support what it calls “Israeli apartheid.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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