Last week, the Undergraduate Students Association Council considered a resolution entitled “A Resolution In Support of Positive Steps Towards an Israeli-Palestinian Peace.” The resolution recognized that “both the Jewish people and the Palestinian people have historical and cultural ties to the land” and “both the Jewish and Palestinian narratives regarding the land are substantial parts of each group’s self-identity.”
In light of the hostile campus environments created by divestment resolutions brought forth at other UC campuses, the resolution called for peaceful and respectful dialogue based on the UCLA principle that “healthy climate is grounded in respect for others, nurtured by dialogue between those of differing perspectives, and is evidenced by a pattern of civil interactions among community members.” Furthermore, the resolution called for positive investments in companies and ventures “that have spent time and resources on efforts to facilitate cooperative interaction between Israelis and Palestinians” in order to further promote and support cross-community collaboration.
The bill did not explicitly recognize Israel’s numerous and continuous attempts for peace, did not explicitly state solidarity with Israelis who have lived through terrorist attacks and did not condemn Palestinian rejection of previous attempts at peace. Nevertheless, I decided to support the bill as a member of the pro-Israel community. I felt that this bill represented a much-needed framework for the pro-Israel community, as activists and members of the larger campus community, to feel safe expressing our identities.
After long conversations and much compromise between council members on the language of the resolution, the final version of this bill stated that USAC respects and supports equally the expression of all voices on this campus regarding this issue. Furthermore, it stated that USAC would support a peacefully negotiated settlement to the conflict in a way that reflects its complex, multifaceted nature and that respects the rights to self-determination of both Palestinians and Israelis in their respective homelands. When the bill came for a vote at nearly 3 a.m., council struck it down: seven against, five in support, zero abstaining.
I am disappointed in the behavior of many of those who attended the meeting that made public comments. Not only did some of them use their time to demonize Israel in a historically inaccurate way, but many of those who stayed throughout the night did not even support the mildest nod toward acceptance of the Israeli narrative and Jewish nationhood and peoplehood.
I was ashamed to call myself a part of the UCLA community when members of the public, as well as a member of the council, called to recognize Hamas as a representative of the Palestinian people despite Hamas being recognized as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan.Furthermore, Hamas is a group whose charter calls for the murder of Jews and the obliteration of Israel.
Rather than plant the seeds of peace and compromise on our campus as modeled by the growing peace talks between elected Israeli and Palestinian leadership, the council rejected the notion that the demonization of any one party involved in conflict is detrimental to the peace cause. The council gave a message to the UCLA community that rather than focus on coexistence and collaboration, both of which the resolution highlighted and sought to create, students should create an unsafe campus climate through the stigmatization of certain UCLA students and affiliates.
I am also extremely disappointed in the behavior of the council members in the room throughout the meeting. USAC claims to commit to the highest standards of respectability and accountability. But how can USAC claim to respect the rights and dignity of others when, as a council, it blatantly refused a resolution that acknowledged the rights of self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians? With the denial of this resolution, how can council claim to be in support of coexistence and a healthy campus climate?
The council needs to reevaluate the implications of its decisions for all communities. It had the opportunity to foster a diverse and open-minded campus culture where students would feel comfortable expressing and exchanging ideas, while knowing that their governing body acknowledges the legitimacy of their homeland.
To many within the pro-Israel community, the denial of this resolution affirmed that our student government does not support Israel’s right to self-determination. To me, the rejection of this bill sends the message that USAC is not in support of respectful dialogue and peace. Last week’s council meeting made me feel uncomfortable sharing part of my identity with my own representative government, with whom I expect to be able to identify and share my concerns.
Eshaghian is a fourth-year psychobiology student and the president of Bruins for Israel.
