PRINCETON, N.J. – Socialist professor Cornel West joined with authors and professors to call on Princeton University to divest from companies that do business in Israel.
West is a professor emeritus at Princeton’s Center for African American Studies and a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America. He spoke at Princeton’s McCosh Hall Wednesday with several other divestment activists in an effort to encourage undergraduates to support a divestment referendum asking the university to shed investments tied to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, NJ.com reports.
West told his audience he’s not supporting one side of the dispute over the other, but rather believes there will be no peace in the region until the violence has ceased.
“There will be no security for our Jewish … brothers and sisters – who have a right to security after 2,000 years of vicious hatred – as there can be no security predicated on violence,” West said.
“We must never allow one ounce, one element of anti-Jewish hatred or anti-Jewish prejudice to be a part of this movement,” he said, according to the news site. “This has nothing to do whatsoever, ought have nothing to do whatsoever of hatred against our precious Jewish brothers and sisters.”
West’s comments were echoed by fellow far-left activist Max Blumenthal.
“You are going to be called an anti-Semite for doing this,” Blumenthal said. “But how is it anti-Jewish to divest from weapons companies? How is it anti-Jewish to campaign for peace?”
Elise Backman essentially answered those questions in an editorial for the university newspaper, The Daily Princetonian .
“All Princetonians who support a sustainable two-state solution between Israel and Palestine should vote against this referendum,” Backman wrote.
“Divestment encourages mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians, an essential issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A 2013 poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research states that though a majority of both Palestinians and Israelis support a two-state solution, neither side trusts that the other will uphold the principles of a peace agreement.
“Divestment reinforces this mistrust by placing the responsibility for changing the status quo on Israel. By divesting from companies that supply equipment to the Israeli military, the referendum implicitly blames Israel alone for the current regional political realities,” she wrote.
Others at Princeton apparently agree with Backman.
“Blumenthal’s (anti-Semite) warnings were confirmed when an audience member interrupted the discussion, accusing him of spreading Nazi, anti-Israel ideology. Another audience member interjected: ‘Do you believe in Israel?’” NJ.com reports.
Backman writes that divestment from companies that do business with Israel will only make matters worse.
“By blaming Israel alone, the divestment referendum also discourages Palestinian leaders from making concessions in future peace negotiations. At the same time, calls for divestment from Israel’s allies, like the United States, lend credibility to the political rhetoric of right-winged political parties in Israel, diminish the voice of moderates and encourage mistrust of international moderators,” Backman wrote.
“This increases the polarization of Israeli society and makes it less likely for Israel to engage in future peace talks.”
Regardless, divestment supporters like West and Robert Tignor, professor of modern and contemporary history, believe that the state of Israel is illegal and illegitimate.
“I think there is a consensus, that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank is illegal,” Tignor said, citing a United Nations resolution outlawing states acquired through war. “There is not a single country in the world that recognizes the Israeli occupation.
“To me, that spells consensus.”
Yet despite those claims, Backman believes “there is a better way than divestment to improve the political reality for Israelis and Palestinians.”
“As a marketplace of ideas, Princeton can work to promote trust among Israelis and Palestinians by participating in initiatives like Tigers Together . Tigers Together fosters trust by supporting organizations that promote interdependence and development in Israel and Palestine by hiring civilians from both sides to work in four key areas: environment, leadership, healthcare and business,” Blackman wrote.
