US National Student Organization Calls for Divestment from Israel
Encounter-EMEM for international Israel-Palestine Peace Activities:
groups.yahoo.com
"On Sunday, August, 4, 2002, the United States Student Association (USSA),
a national organization representing students across
the United States, unexpectedly passed a number of
strong resolutions on Palestine and the Middle East.
Although most of the students hadn't been expecting to
act on the Palestinian issue and the initial policy platform
did not contain anything on the conflict, by the end of the
conference four very strong resolutions were created
calling for divestment from Israel and announcing
solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Despite some Zionist opposition, all passed
overwhelmingly - and in some cases unanimously.
Among those who achieved this result were determined
groups of students from UCLA, the University of Wisconsin,
a small but extremely active local Boulder group -
all of whom wrote and actively pushed for the resolutions;
and 'If Americans Knew', whose founder, Alison Weir,
brought a large amount of written material on the
Palestinian issue and, working with Boulder activist
Abbas, gave a two-hour workshop on the Palestinian
issue.
USSA Policy Platform Resolutions
1.
-USSA condemns and is appalled by the Israeli
government's policies toward, and treatment of the
Palestinian people. USSA calls for divestment from the
state of Israel until full withdrawal from Palestinian
territories.
-USSA Expressly abhors the denial of education due to
the occupation of Palestinians.
-USSA supports nonviolent resistance movements that
promote coalition building between Palestinians and
Israeli's who are actively working towards an end to the
occupation of Palestinian territories.
-USSA supports a fully sovereign Palestinian State and
the Palestinian right to self-determination.
-USSA supports human rights for Palestinian people
according to international law
and
USSA calls for peace, security, and prosperity of all
people in the region.
Motion passes Vote: 55-7-4 abstain
2.
-USSA strongly opposes the stereotypical and derogatory
portrayal of people of Middle Easter and South Asian
descent that continue to perpetuate and reinforce
negative images (i.e. terrorism), and terminology
(i.e. Islamists, barbarians, Axes of "Evil", Camel Jockey,
Monsters) of people of Middle Eastern and South Asian
Descent, subjecting them to discrimination, vilification,
and alienation.
Passes Unanimously
3. USSA strongly opposes a pre-emptive attack and/or
military operation in Iraq.
Attacking Iraq will cause substantial loss of innocent
civilian lives as resulted from the Gulf War.
Passed
Administrative Resolution
1. Whereas: USSA is in solidarity with the Palestinian
people and their struggle to attain freedom and
self-determination.
Whereas: USSA strives to education students about
issues that are directly related to higher education.
Whereas: USSA urges the socially responsible use of
public funding in all higher education institutions.
Be it resolved: That the Board of Directors and USSA
staff work in coalition with the organizations that
advocate and strive towards the struggle of the
Palestinian people for sovereignty and liberation.
Be it further resolved: That the board of Directors and the
USSA staff create a fact sheet on the growing national
student movement on divestment from the state of Israel. |
