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March 7, 2003
Students upset by policy
STEPHEN HUI SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Pro-Israel students at Simon Fraser University (SFU) are objecting
to their student union's recently adopted policy on Palestine.
At a tumultuous meeting Feb. 24, representatives from student groups
that support Israel told the Simon Fraser Student Society's board
of directors that their policy did not represent the views of all
SFU students.
"The Simon Fraser Student Society calls for the immediate end
to the illegal U.S.-backed Israeli occupation of the West Bank and
Gaza Strip, the right of return for all Palestinians to their homes
and an end to Israeli apartheid," read the resolution approved
by the board on Feb. 5.
Brent Zacks, president of the SFU Israel Advocacy Committee, asserted
that the student union's policy should recognize the rights of both
Israelis and Palestinians to safety and security. The student said
he felt "singled out as a minority on campus" by the resolution.
"It may not be anti-Semitic, but it's anti-Israel," Zacks
said. "I feel as an SFU student that I'm not safe and I'm not
secure anymore with the passing of this resolution."
Elliot Campbell, SFU representative of Vancouver Hillel, disputed
the policy's reference to "Israeli apartheid."
"It entails complete separation," Campbell said. "In
Israel, you don't have that."
Scott Rohan, at-large representative to the student union, argued
that the use of the term "apartheid" was appropriate when
describing the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
"I think it is apartheid," Rohan said, "the establishment
of these isolated Palestinian communities that are cut and crossed
with the interconnecting roads, which are fenced off, which are
guarded by Israeli soldiers."
Student union external relations officer Jagdeep Singh Mangat defended
the policy, highlighting the importance of not confusing opposition
to the actions of the state of Israel with anti-Semitism.
"I am an anti-Zionist," Mangat said. "Nowhere in
this resolution is there anything that points any blame on Jews."
Zacks argued, however, that the resolution was essentially calling
for the end to the state of Israel.
"Palestinians in the question area are living with things that
Israel is giving them," Zacks said. "Could the Palestinians
survive without Israel? Maybe not."
In response to Zacks' comment, Rohan who was the source of
several outbursts during the meeting stormed out of the room,
slamming the door behind him. Rohan later returned to the meeting
and announced his resignation from the board.
"This shouldn't be a forum for this kind of crap," Rohan
said.
Mangat said he also found Zacks' comments offensive and the pro-Israel
student apologized.
"That is a racist assertion," Mangat said.
Zacks maintained that the student union could not claim to represent
SFU students' opinions on the issue.
"I don't think it is the opinion of the school," Zacks
said. "I think that there's a large majority of the school
that aren't necessarily pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian, but are
unaligned or don't know anything about the subject and yet we are
making it their opinion."
Heather Jones, a sociology and anthropology student at SFU, disagreed,
stating that the policy represented her views.
"Having a policy at this university that calls for the end
to the occupation, that can be defending the rights of Israeli people
to live in safety and security," Jones said, "because
that won't happen with the occupation."
Campbell, however, suggested that the student union should limit
itself to addressing issues of clear interest to students, such
as tuition fees.
Student union president Carlos Garcia noted that the organization
has an anti-racist policy and takes a position on many issues, including
abortion and the impending U.S.-led war on Iraq.
During the almost one-and-a-half hour debate, member services officer
Brynn Bourke served notice that the board would reconsider the policy
next month.
Stephen Hui is the news editor of the Peak, Simon
Fraser University's student newspaper, where this article first
appeared. It is reprinted with permission.
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