Harvard Students Demand University Condemn Israel’s ‘Excessive Use of Force’

Students at Harvard University have accused Israel of “systematic oppression and ethnic cleansing,” and are demanding the university condemn Israel’s so-called “excessive use of force,” and divest from companies that do business with Israel.

“The current escalation of violence against Palestinians in Palestine and in Israel follows years of systematic oppression and ethnic cleansing committed by the State of Israel,” the Harvard students and student organizations proclaim in their petition, which has garnered hundreds of student signatures.

The students’ petition is in reaction to Israel unleashing airstrikes against Palestinian terrorists after the terrorists launched dozens of rockets at Israel from Gaza.

The petition goes on to call on the university to divest from all companies that are involved in the so-called “illegal Israeli settlement enterprise,” pushing pro-BDS sentiments.

“We call on our university to end its complicity with Israeli apartheid policies and occupation by removing its investments in companies that are involved in the illegal Israeli settlement enterprise until equal rights are guaranteed for all citizens in Israel and Palestine,” the petition reads.

The BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] movement seeks to systematically destroy the world’s only Jewish state through financial means, by boycotting companies that do business with Israel.

The petition also urges students to call on the U.S. State Department and Department of Defense to “Demand the end of Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians from East Jerusalem.”

“Educate yourself and your community about human rights abuses in Palestine,” the petition states. “Write, tweet, and share on social media platforms, but above all, reach out to your representatives at the federal and local levels.”

The petition was created by the Palestine Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School, the Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee, the Harvard Palestine Health Initiative at Harvard Medical School, the Harvard Divinity School Students for Palestinian Rights, and the Middle East and North Africa Student Organization at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Similarly, the University of Michigan’s student government reacted to Israel’s response to terrorists earlier this week by also claiming that the world’s only Jewish State is engaging in “ethnic cleansing.”

Students Supporting Israel Executive Vice President Sophia Witt reacted to the “ethnic cleansing” claim, telling Breitbart News that the “blood libel” is “a gimmick overused for political gain,” and is “purely anti-Semitic.”

“From the regional demographic standpoint, since Israel’s entry into the West Bank areas of Judea and Samaria, and into Gaza in 1967, the Palestinian-Arab population has increased from 954,898 to 4,654,421,” Witt said. “This indicates an increase of 387% of the Palestinian-Arab population since 1967.”

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