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A strongly worded pro-BDS bylaw adopted by a handful of student groups at Berkeley Law is quietly raising the temperature of the debate surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and prompted the law school dean, a progressive Zionist, to write an email expressing concern to students.
The statement, written by Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine, goes beyond the now-familiar calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, pledges that have become commonplace at U.S. universities (The campus advocacy group Amcha Initiative has tallied 28 such resolutions adopted since 2021.)
Groups that adopt the bylaw pledge not to invite Zionist speakers or “speakers that have expressed and continued to hold views … in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine.”
The rule is in the interest of “protecting the safety and welfare of Palestinian students,” the provision says. As to how it will be enforced, the bylaw leaves that up to each group, though “suggested strategies can include publicly stipulating [each individual] organization’s position of anti-racism and anti-settler colonialism to speakers, ensuring that proposals for speakers emphasize the organization’s desire for equality and inclusion,” or “informing speakers of the event’s goals and mission values.”
Neither Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine (BLSJP) nor any of the bylaw adopters responded to emails from J. seeking comment. Its title is “To include a Palestine-centered and de-colonial approach to holding club activities.”
Although the bylaw was proposed to the more than 100 student and affinity groups at Berkeley Law, only nine had adopted it as of early this week. About 1,100 students are enrolled at the prestigious law school.
Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine nevertheless celebrated what it called a major “BDS victory” in an Instagram post on Sunday, listing the groups that had adopted the measure. Among them were the Berkeley Law Muslim Student Association, the Queer Caucus, Law Students of African Descent and Women of Berkeley Law.
A strongly worded pro-BDS bylaw adopted by a handful of student groups at Berkeley Law is quietly raising the temperature of the debate surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and prompted the law school dean, a progressive Zionist, to write an email expressing concern to students.
The statement, written by Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine, goes beyond the now-familiar calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, pledges that have become commonplace at U.S. universities (The campus advocacy group Amcha Initiative has tallied 28 such resolutions adopted since 2021.)
Groups that adopt the bylaw pledge not to invite Zionist speakers or “speakers that have expressed and continued to hold views … in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine.”
The rule is in the interest of “protecting the safety and welfare of Palestinian students,” the provision says. As to how it will be enforced, the bylaw leaves that up to each group, though “suggested strategies can include publicly stipulating [each individual] organization’s position of anti-racism and anti-settler colonialism to speakers, ensuring that proposals for speakers emphasize the organization’s desire for equality and inclusion,” or “informing speakers of the event’s goals and mission values.”
Neither Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine (BLSJP) nor any of the bylaw adopters responded to emails from J. seeking comment. Its title is “To include a Palestine-centered and de-colonial approach to holding club activities.”
Although the bylaw was proposed to the more than 100 student and affinity groups at Berkeley Law, only nine had adopted it as of early this week. About 1,100 students are enrolled at the prestigious law school.
Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine nevertheless celebrated what it called a major “BDS victory” in an Instagram post on Sunday, listing the groups that had adopted the measure. Among them were the Berkeley Law Muslim Student Association, the Queer Caucus, Law Students of African Descent and Women of Berkeley Law.
