To the Editor:
The guest column by Roberta Goldman '13 ("Brown Students for Palestine (and Israel)," March 4) misrepresents Brown Students for Justice in Palestine, as well as their use of the word "apartheid."
To be clear, I am not writing as a member of Brown Students for Justice in Palestine. I attended BSJP's presentation on their campaign for University divestment from companies profiting from Israeli apartheid in the Occupied Territories. I learned that the goal of BSJP is not divestment from Israel itself; rather, it is divestment from companies that profit from the illegal military occupation of the Palestinian Territories. BSJP has demonstrated a precise and responsible use of language. Anyone who attended their event or visited their table on the Main Green would know that they limit their use of "apartheid" to refer to the Occupied Territories only.
Misrepresenting BSJP by distorting their language (down to their name and main goal) and then accusing them of "cheapening" words demonstrates a refusal to engage in a factual debate about divestment and the reality of life under occupation. It would be nice, for example, to hear Goldman's perspective on illegal settlements, in which Israeli settlers are subject to civilian law while Palestinians endure military law. This dual system of law establishes the condition of apartheid as defined by the United Nations. The illegal settler population can live freely, while limitations on movement, confiscation of natural resources, and restrictions on political freedom define the Palestinian experience.
A sign on the main green asking, "Do you want your university profiting from apartheid?" leaves no room for objection. Whatever you label it (apartheid, occupation or plain old injustice), let's not pay for it. If the use of a single word was the sole objection of BSJP's detractors, then I see that as an endorsement of BSJP's message of ending our complicity in Israel's human rights violations.
Currently, Brown University is potentially invested in companies that facilitate the illegal military occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Rejecting an unacceptable status quo through selective divestment is the true message of Brown Students for Justice in Palestine. It is one that all of us should endorse.
Malcolm Shanks '11
March 7
