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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