‘Against’ Case
We firmly believe that all students should be treated equally and without fear of discrimination, harassment or bullying based on their protected characteristics such as race, religion, ethnicity, and political belief. This campaign will exclude Jewish and Israeli students from LSESU. The details of the proposal pose irreparable damage to those communities, given the falsity of the accused crimes, the harmful language adopted and the isolation of them on campus.
We urge you to vote no to this policy proposal, for three pressing reasons:
1. The certain harm this will cause to LSE’s Jewish Community
2. The factual inaccuracies of the proposal
3. The violation of the Students’ Union’s aims and principles
This proposal poses serious harm to Jewish students at LSE. It rejects the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The IHRA definition is widely recognised globally, adopted by countless governments, universities, etc, and preferred by Jewish communities. This proposal redefines antisemitism in order to suit a political narrative. This would be unacceptable for any other minority group, posing an overwhelming double standard. The redefining of antisemitism in this proposal undermines Jewish people’s right to define their own identity and oppression.
The proposal labels Zionism as a “racist and settler-colonial ideology”, a gross distortion of the term’s legitimate meaning; the belief in Jewish self-determination in their ancestral homeland. This belief is embraced by over 97% of Jewish people worldwide as well as many others who support the right of all people to self-determination and to their own homeland [1]. The proposal tokenises ‘Jewish Voices for Peace’, an anti-Zionist fringe group widely criticised for engaging in Holocaust inversion and supporting terrorist groups. Implying that Zionism itself is a “global threat” dangerously echoes historic antisemitic tropes and conspiracies that have no place on our campus. Elevating such voices to override the vast majority of the Jewish community is not inclusion but rather a deliberate and manipulative tactic of erasure.
Secondly, this proposal denies any Jewish or Israeli suffering. That is irresponsible and deeply offensive. Hamas’ invasion of Southern Israel on October 7th 2023 was the deadliest massacre the Jewish people have faced in a single day since the Holocaust. The motion fails to acknowledge the 1,200 Israelis that were murdered, the 251 that were kidnapped and countless others that were raped. Not forgetting that the country has been under near-daily bombardment and missile attacks since then. Moreover, the proposal adopts a rhetoric that justifies the actions of Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation. Criticism of Israel is of course legitimate, but this proposal singles out Israel without any discussion of other states or terrorist groups and the atrocities they are committing against that country.
The International Court of Justice has ruled that there is not sufficient evidence to uphold claims of genocide in Gaza unless or until a full investigation takes place [2][3][4][5][6]. For LSESU to proclaim a genocide before any such investigation is carried out is political sloganeering designed to vilify and smear Israel. To do so without mentioning the terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, or their funder Iran, is even worse. Those actors have repeatedly and publicly pronounced their genocidal primary aim to wipe Israel off the map and wipe out the Jewish people. We are not denying suffering across the region or the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza, with civilians trapped by closed borders with Israel and Egypt. Rather we are highlighting how this one-sided proposal uses this terrible conflict to advance an antisemitic narrative.
The proposal, as an offensive and inflammatory narrative, directly opposes the core mission of the LSESU “to enhance the academic experience of all students”. The call for pastoral spaces to support only one group of students affected by this war directly discriminates against Jewish and Israeli students equally as affected. The SU are sending a clear message to Jewish and Israeli Students that their safety, identity and lived experiences do not matter. The LSESU’s duty is to protect all of their students without discrimination, and this proposal clearly violates that duty.
We reaffirm our solidarity with all those impacted by violence from this war. The innocent civilians in Gaza and in Israel that have tragically lost their lives, those civilians impacted in Lebanon and Iran, and not forgetting those Israelis who remain as hostages of Hamas for over 600 days. We ask, in good faith that you vote against this motion, to ensure the safety of your Jewish friends on campus. We must not allow the Student Union to fail LSE’s Jewish Community
[1]
antisemitism.org/almost-70-of-british-jews-are-hiding-their-identity-and-almost-half-have-considered-leaving-britain-since-7th-october-new-caa-polling-shows/
[2] See particularly paragraphs 30, 35 and 60-62 of the ICJ’s order: https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20240126-ord-01-00-en.pdf
[3] https://www.uklfi.com/the-icjs-order-of-24-may-2024
[4] https://x.com/UKLFI/status/1837576991072997580
[5]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf2vLyiscVo
[6] https://www.uklfi.com/icj-president-confirms-it-did-not-find-there-is-a-plausible-case-that-israel-is-committing-genocide