College and University Monitor

On October 25, the Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University (CPS) co-hosted with Columbia’s Law School an event titled “Human Rights, International Law, and the Israeli Occupation of Palestine.” As evidenced by the speakers at this event, the topic of conversation had no hope of being anything but yet another one-sided anti-Israel tirade.

This event is part of a wider trend of regular BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) events at the university, often linked to CPS and the law school. These efforts are amplified by the work of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), whose joint effort Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) launched in February 2016. Jewish Voice for Peace considers itself to be the “Jewish wing” of the Palestinian solidarity movement, and on campus provides cover for BDS and tries to shield activists from accusations of anti-Semitism. These groups have intensified the frequency of anti-Israel events on campus in the service of convincing students and administrators to divest from Israeli companies....