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<h1 style="white-space: pre-wrap;">2018 Year-In-Review: Censorship of Palestine Advocacy in the U.S. Intensifies</h1>
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<div class="reader-estimated-time">January 24, 2019<br>
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<p>As students planned to gather at UCLA in
November 2018 for a conference on Palestinian
rights, they faced unprecedented international
efforts to shut it down. </p>
<p>One city councilmember falsely accused
students of engaging in terrorist plots. The
entire council called on the university to
censor the conference. A Zionist group
physically assaulted students, while chanting
anti-Arab, anti-Muslim taunts. A congressman
wrote to the university falsely accusing
students of antisemitism and demanding that
the conference be cancelled. The university
sent students a legal threat letter claiming
that kites are a symbol of violence and
demanding that they alter their logo. An
Israeli government-sponsored app directed
people to complain of an unsafe environment on
campus. </p>
<p>Despite the international pressure campaign
against the conference, National Students for
Justice in Palestine (NSJP) held their largest
gathering ever.</p>
<p>The threats against the NSJP conference – and
activists’ resilience – are a microcosm of
deepening efforts by Israel advocates to
silence the movement for Palestinian rights in
the United States.</p>
<p>Palestine Legal responded to <strong>289
incidents of suppression</strong> of
U.S.-based Palestine advocacy in 2018, on top
of the 308 incidents responded to in 2017.
Seventy-six percent targeted students and
scholars at 68 campuses across the country.
Additionally, Palestine Legal responded to 62
legal questions from activists who were
concerned their rights were threatened.</p>
<p>Over five years, from January 1, 2014,
through December 31, 2018, Palestine Legal
responded to a total of <strong>1,247
incidents of suppression</strong> targeting
speech supportive of Palestinian rights, and
an additional 318 requests for legal
assistance in anticipation of such incidents.
This data reflects only what was directly
reported to Palestine Legal, and therefore is
not an exhaustive account of the suppression.</p>
<p>In 2018, the volume of suppression incidents
reported to Palestine Legal remained steady,
while the severity increased. The level of
involvement by government actors grew
significantly, as Trump appointees implemented
an anti-Palestinian agenda, as legislatures
targeted Palestinian rights advocacy, and as
law enforcement investigated activists. New
lawsuits against people who take a public
stand for Palestinian rights and the continued
harassment of students and scholars
intensified the chilling effects of
suppression.</p>
<p>Despite this evolving threat, however, the
movement for Palestinian rights in the U.S.
continues to gain steam, and a growing number
of people are compelled to speak up for
freedom, equality, and justice for
Palestinians. Moreover, courts are confirming
that advocacy for Palestinian rights,
including boycotts, are protected First
Amendment activities. Bold new elected
officials are standing up against efforts to
undermine our constitutional rights, opening a
path for those who oppose the U.S.
government’s unconditional support for Israel.
</p>
<p>In blatant disregard of the First Amendment,
government actors have increasingly had a
direct hand in censoring Palestine advocacy.
This censorship originates at all levels of
government – from Trump-appointee Kenneth
Marcus to FBI agents, administrators at public
universities, and both Democratic and
Republican state governors. These actions have
also empowered anti-Palestinian groups, who,
unfettered by the First Amendment, have used
the tools provided by the government to
further chill activism. </p>
<h2>Trump Administration Redefines Antisemitism</h2>
<p>In June 2018, Trump-appointee Kenneth Marcus
was confirmed as head of the Office for Civil
Rights (OCR) at the Department of Education.
Prior to joining the Trump administration,
Marcus crafted a legal strategy of <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2017/11/29/kenneth-marcus"
target="_blank">using civil rights law</a>
to target campus criticism of Israel,
including by promoting and filing baseless
complaints with OCR. At the time, OCR
investigated and dismissed these complaints.
</p>
<p>Within weeks of taking office, Marcus
reopened a previously dismissed complaint by
the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)
against Rutgers University over a 2011 event
featuring survivors of the Holocaust and the
Nakba. In notifying the ZOA of the reopened
investigation, Marcus adopted a <a
href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/548748b1e4b083fc03ebf70e/t/5ad7b16603ce646d1a0d59d9/1524085097669/FAQ+on+Definition+of+Antisemitism+4.18.18+.pdf"
target="_blank">widely criticized
re-definition of </a>antisemitism that
classifies virtually all criticism of Israel
as antisemitic. </p>
<p>Marcus’ appointment and his adoption of a
hotly contested definition began to have
significant repercussions in 2018. The ZOA and
other pro-Israel groups were quick to
capitalize on the redefinition and the
presence of ideological allies in the
administration. </p>
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<p><strong>Professor Sanctioned Over Academic
Boycott: </strong>In September,
University of Michigan Professor John
Cheney-Lippold <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/case-studies/2018/12/7/umich-suppression"
target="_blank">declined</a> to write a
letter of recommendation for a study abroad
program in Israel because he supports the
academic boycott for Palestinian rights.
Right-wing pro-Israel groups launched a
campaign demanding that he be disciplined
over his political statement. Within days,
he received over 500 hate messages,
including emails calling for him to be
killed. The ZOA wrote the University of
Michigan, demanding that Cheney-Lippold be
sanctioned. In its letter, the ZOA cited the
reopened Rutgers investigation and the
re-definition of antisemitism, using the
threat of federal investigation to pressure
the university to take action. The
university sanctioned Cheney-Lippold with a
loss of his earned sabbatical for two years
and no merit increase for the academic year.
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<p><strong>Federal Complaint Against Student
Vigil: </strong>In November, students from
Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for
Justice in Palestine at the University of
California, Berkeley, planned a vigil to
jointly mourn the Jewish worshippers killed in
the Tree of Life synagogue massacre in
Pittsburgh and the Palestinian children killed
in Israeli air raids in Gaza. After
antisemitism accusations and threats to their
safety, the students decided to cancel the
event. Students eventually held a small
private event instead of the shared public
experience they had originally envisioned.
Attorneys representing a pro-Israel group on
campus wrote to OCR <a
href="https://jewishjournal.com/news/nation/241882/pro-israel-students-file-complaint-department-education-sjp-vigil-berkeley/"
target="_blank">demanding</a> that the
students be expelled because the event created
a “false moral equivalency” by insinuating
Israelis are “mass murderers,” which would be
considered antisemitic under OCR’s
re-definition. </p>
<p><strong>Professor Threatens Event Organizer:</strong>
In September, a faculty member at San Jose
State University organized a <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/san-jose-state-event"
target="_blank">panel discussion</a> about
the suppression of speech critical of Israeli
policies. Another professor emailed her
complaining that the event only presented “one
viewpoint.” The professor warned against
holding the event unless the department added
pro-Israel perspectives to the panel or in a
future event. The email included a link to an
article on the reopened Rutgers investigation,
implying that the school could be investigated
by the Department of Education for
“anti-Zionist activities.” </p>
<h2>Anti-Palestinian Legislation </h2>
<p>By the end of 2018, 26 states had laws on the
books intended to suppress boycotts for
Palestinian rights. </p>
<p><strong>In the U.S. Congress</strong>, four
federal measures targeting advocacy for
Palestinian rights were introduced in 2018,
all of which failed to advance despite heavy
lobbying by Israel advocacy groups. Most
significantly:</p>
<ul data-rte-list="default">
<li>
<p>The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (ASAA)
would have directed the Department of
Education to use the widely discredited
“State Department Definition” of
antisemitism when investigating complaints
on campuses. The re-definition is so broad
it classifies virtually all criticism of
Israel and Israeli government policies as
antisemitic. As in 2016, the bill failed
to advance, but members of Congress are
expected to continue introducing similar
legislation. </p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul data-rte-list="default">
<li>
<p>Sponsors of the Israel Anti-Boycott Act
(IABA), a bill introduced in 2017 to
criminalize certain boycotts of Israel,
attempted to insert the legislation into
an end-of-year appropriations bill. These
efforts failed due to widespread <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/amended-unconstitutional-iaba"
target="_blank">opposition</a>,
including from senators Bernie Sanders and
Dianne Feinstein who <a
href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-feinstein-oppose-inclusion-of-israel-anti-boycott-act-in-appropriations-bill"
target="_blank">condemned</a> the bill
as a violation of the First Amendment. </p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>State lawmakers</strong> introduced
at least twelve additional measures in 2018.
Executive orders issued by the governors of
Louisiana and Kentucky required state
contracts to include pledges not to boycott
Israel. Kentucky’s governor stated that
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu<a
href="https://wfpl.org/bevin-to-require-state-contractors-promise-they-dont-boycott-israel/%5d"
target="_blank"> personally</a> asked him to
issue such an order. </p>
<p><strong>First Amendment Lawsuits: </strong>Federal
judges in <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/victory-federal-court-az-law"
target="_blank"><strong>Arizona</strong></a>
and <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/2/6/federal-judge-issues-injunction-against-kansas-law"
target="_blank"><strong>Kansas</strong></a>
issued preliminary injunctions against
anti-boycott laws in those states, blocking
their enforcement. Both judges confirmed that
boycotts for Palestinian rights are protected
First Amendment activities and that requiring
state contractors to certify that they do not
boycott Israel is unconstitutional. As the
judge in the Kansas case noted, by forcing its
contractors to disavow boycotts for
Palestinian rights, Kansas was forcing them to
“accommodate Kansas’s message of support for
Israel.” Kansas amended its law to end the
lawsuit. The Arizona law is blocked pending
appeal of the decision to the Ninth Circuit. </p>
<p>In <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/new-lawsuits-arkansas-texas"
target="_blank"><strong>Texas</strong></a>,
the ACLU and the Council on American-Islamic
Relations both filed lawsuits on behalf of
individuals who lost contracts or had to forgo
payment because of the Texas anti-boycott law.
The ACLU also sued <strong>Arkansas</strong>
on behalf of a newspaper publisher that
refused to sign a certification that it would
not boycott Israel.</p>
<p><strong>Chilling Impact:</strong> While
individuals directly affected by anti-boycott
laws have so far been successful in
challenging them, the laws have repeatedly
been invoked to chill pro-Palestinian speech
more broadly. For example, an Indiana
University student cited state law in claiming
the school must <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/12/17/iipac-jamil-dakwar"
target="_blank">censor</a> speakers who
support the movement to boycott for
Palestinian rights. In another case, the
Zionist Organization of America called for the
<a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/zoa-cheryl-davila-berkeley"
target="_blank">investigation</a> of a
member of the Berkeley city council who
publicly support boycotts for Palestinian
rights. Though California’s law simply
requires state contractors to verify
compliance with existing anti-discrimination
laws, the ZOA claimed that the state has a
public policy against such boycotts </p>
<h2>Lawmakers Censor Constituents Online</h2>
<p>At least two lawmakers censored activists on
social media over comments supporting
Palestinian rights. Dana Al-Hasan, a student
activist in South Carolina, was <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/south-carolina-unconstitutional-twitter-blocking"
target="_blank">blocked</a> on Twitter by
State Representative Alan Clemmons, a staunch
supporter of Israel, after she mentioned him
in a tweet criticizing discriminatory Israeli
policies. Clemmons unblocked Al-Hasan after
Palestine Legal wrote to him explaining that
he had violated her First Amendment rights.</p>
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<h2>Law Enforcement Scrutiny of Palestine
Activists </h2>
<p>In 2018, pro-Palestinian activists contacted
Palestine Legal for support in five different
cases after being approached by the FBI. For
example, FBI agents visited the home of a UCLA
student in February to ask her about her
activism for Palestinian rights, prompting
Palestine Legal to issue a know your rights <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/4/20/advisory-on-fbi-visits-to-palestine-activists-updated"
target="_blank">advisory</a>. Officers from
the Department of Homeland Security showed up
to a June symposium hosted by USA-Palestine
Mental Health Network. The event had earlier
faced calls for cancellation and <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/mental-health-palestine-event"
target="_blank">demands for police presence</a>.
Israel advocacy groups repeatedly petitioned
law enforcement authorities to prosecute
students and community organizations who voice
support for Palestinian rights under criminal
codes, for example at <a
href="https://theisraelgroup.org/20180802/"
target="_blank">Stanford</a>. </p>
<p>As in previous years, students and scholars
continue to be the primary target for backlash
and censorship. Seventy-six percent of the
incidents Palestine Legal responded to in 2018
were campus related. Palestine Legal responded
to 51 administrative complaints against
Palestine activists, double the number from
2017. </p>
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<p><strong>Temple Investigates Marc Lamont Hill
Over UN Speech: </strong>At an event at the
United Nations in November, Temple University
professor Marc Lamont Hill spoke about ways in
which Israel denies equality to Palestinians
and about parallels with the Black experience
in the U.S. He ended his speech calling for “a
free Palestine from the river to the sea.” The
next day he was fired by CNN, where he had
been on contract as a commentator. The chair
of Temple’s board announced that he wanted to
fire Hill and that the school would <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/12/7/temples-threatened-investigation"
target="_blank">investigate</a> its options.
Two weeks later, Temple released a statement
recognizing that Hill’s speech was protected
by the First Amendment.</p>
<p><strong>Graduate Students Investigated Over
Support for Palestine:</strong> A <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/victory-cuny-clears-student"
target="_blank">graduate student</a> at the
City University of New York (CUNY) was
investigated after making comments critical of
Israel in an email exchange on a departmental
listserve. Palestine Legal wrote to CUNY
explaining that the student’s comments were
protected by the First Amendment. After a
nearly three-month investigation, the
university cleared the student. </p>
<p>In California, a graduate student was called
in for a meeting with the chair of her
department after a classmate falsely accused
her of saying that Zionists are not human.
Though the investigation was terminated within
a few days after multiple witnesses confirmed
that no such statement was made, the incident
had a significant chilling impact. Most
notably, it prompted the professor to warn the
student that she should self-censor a paper on
Palestinian history that would be reviewed by
her classmates.</p>
<p><strong>Pro-Israel Group Files Complaint
Against Columbia Students: </strong>In
February, Students Supporting Israel filed a
formal <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/case-studies/columbia-ssi-complaints"
target="_blank">complaint</a> against
students for “delegitimiz[ing]” Israel. The
complaint named Students for Justice in
Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Columbia
University Apartheid Divest and three Columbia
students affiliated with these groups. It was
dismissed in April.</p>
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<p><strong>CCNY Cancels SJP Event: </strong>In
April, administrators at the City College of
New York told Students for Justice in
Palestine that they were<a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/case-studies/ccny-censors-pro-palestinian-talk"
target="_blank"> cancelling</a> the group’s
event featuring Israeli author Miko Peled. At
first the administrator said the problem was
the speaker’s “particularly controversial”
views and that the school wanted to avoid
negative news coverage. The same administrator
then erroneously claimed that SJP had not
filed the proper paperwork. After Palestine
Legal and Center for Constitutional Rights
(CCR) intervened, the school allowed the event
to proceed and apologized to SJP.</p>
<p>As the American public becomes increasingly
aware of the Israeli government’s oppression
of Palestinians, supporters of Israel have
resorted to underhanded attempts to stifle
debate and democratic decision making. </p>
<p><strong>Government-Sponsored App Interferes
with On-Campus Debate: </strong>Act.IL, an
app funded in part by the <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/meet-spies-injecting-israeli-propaganda-your-news-feed"
target="_blank">Israeli government</a>,
directs users from around the world on
“missions” to promote Israel’s agenda online.
During a student senate vote on whether George
Washington University should divest from
companies that facilitate Israel’s violations
of international law, the app directed users
to promote a website that threatened to <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/content/how-israel-promotes-cyberbullying-us-students/24221"
target="_blank">reveal the identities</a> of
student senators who had voted by secret
ballot over concerns for their safety. When
similar resolutions were being considered by
students at <a
href="https://twitter.com/AntiBDSApp/status/992030145799249922"
target="_blank">City University of New York</a>
and <a
href="https://twitter.com/AntiBDSApp/status/1069977048968503296"
target="_blank">New York University</a>, the
app directed users to sign petitions against
the resolution. </p>
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<p><strong>Anonymous Online Harassment: </strong>Revelations
in 2018 shed new light on the growing problem
of online harassment against supporters of
Palestinian rights. <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/content/watch-film-israel-lobby-didnt-want-you-see/25876"
target="_blank">Footage</a> that Electronic
Intifada released from a censored Al Jazeera
documentary shows Jacob Baime, the head of the
Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC), describing
their strategy: “With the anti-Israel people,
what’s most effective, what we’ve found at
least in the last year, is you do the
opposition research, put up some anonymous
website, and then put up targeted Facebook
ads.” In 2018, anonymous websites made false
accusations against numerous activists,
including sites that targeted campus
communities such as UCLA and Columbia. The
sites were promoted through paid ads on
Facebook and Instagram. ICC has taken credit
for similar “<a
href="https://www.propublica.org/article/dc-pro-israel-group-ran-facebook-ads-to-target-pro-palestinian-activist"
target="_blank">anonymous digital campaigns</a>,”
including the site <a
href="https://forward.com/news/416569/why-did-jewish-leaders-think-they-should-target-college-kids-to-help/"
target="_blank">SJP Uncovered</a>. </p>
<p>Palestine Legal received several reports of <a
href="https://forward.com/news/national/407279/canary-missions-threat-grows-from-us-campuses-to-the-israeli-border/"
target="_blank">Israeli security</a>
officials relying on the blacklisting site
Canary Mission during airport screening as
well as reports of employers questioning
activists about the site. As of January 2019,
the site had profiles of 1,853 individuals and
563 professors. Though the site continues to
operate anonymously, there were new
revelations in 2018 about the <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/content/censored-film-names-adam-milstein-canary-mission-funder/25356"
target="_blank">people</a> and <a
href="https://forward.com/news/national/411355/revealed-canary-mission-blacklist-is-secretly-bankrolled-by-major-jewish/"
target="_blank">funding</a> behind the site,
and an increasing recognition, even by <a
href="https://www.jta.org/2018/04/23/opinion/jewish-students-blacklist-bds-supporters-hurting-efforts-defend-israel-campus"
target="_blank">supporters of Israel</a>, of
the site’s damaging tactics. </p>
<p><strong>“Pollsters” Claim Hamas Supports City
Council Resolution:</strong> In April, the
city council in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
planned to consider a resolution on boycotting
Hewlett-Packard over its role in facilitating
abuses by Israel. Just ahead of the vote,
anonymous callers claiming to be taking a poll
reportedly called residents to ask if they
would be more or less likely to support a
policy if they knew a recognized terrorist
organization was promoting it, later
mentioning Hamas. The same resolution was also
the target of an <a
href="https://twitter.com/AntiBDSApp/status/986650852008972289"
target="_blank">Act.IL mission</a>. After
the backlash, the resolution was never brought
to a vote.</p>
<p>Anti-Palestinian groups continued to issue
legal threats and file lawsuits to silence the
movement for Palestinian rights. In 2018,
Palestine Legal responded to 28 lawsuits or
threats of lawsuits or criminal prosecution. </p>
<p><strong>Lawsuit Against San Francisco State
and Professor Abdulhadi: </strong>In March
and again in October, a federal court<a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/case-studies/2017/11/3/years-long-suppression-campaign-sfsu"
target="_blank"> dismissed</a> a baseless
lawsuit that sought to compel the university
to restrict the speech of students and faculty
who support Palestinian freedom. After the
complaint was first dismissed in March, the
plaintiffs filed a similar lawsuit in
California state court. The plaintiffs also
filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit.</p>
<p><strong>Threat Against Tech Company: </strong>In
December, Shurat HaDin, an Israeli
government-linked law firm, <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/12/21/donorbox-suspends-bds-account"
target="_blank">sent</a> a threat letter to
the donation platform Donorbox claiming that
they would be subject to civil and criminal
penalties for providing services to the
Palestinian Boycott National Committee (BNC).
The letter claimed that Donorbox was
supporting terrorism by processing donations
for the BNC, a Palestinian coalition that
advocates for boycotts, divestment, and
sanctions in order to secure freedom and
equality for Palestinians. The letter prompted
Donorbox to suspend the BNC’s account at the
height of the charity-giving season. </p>
<p><strong>Lawsuits Against City of Durham: </strong>In
April, activists in Durham, North Carolina,
successfully campaigned for a statement from
the city council stating that Durham police
officers would not engage in training in
Israel. In October, a pro-Israel group filed a
lawsuit on behalf of two volunteer police
officers in Israel who <a
href="https://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/article220896635.html"
target="_blank">alleged</a> that the policy
discriminates against them. In December,
another suit was filed <a
href="https://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/article222748170.html"
target="_blank">claiming</a> that the mayor
violated open meeting laws by notifying city
council members via email that he planned to
raise the issue the next day. </p>
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<h2><em>Case Study: National Students for
Justice in Palestine Conference at UCLA</em></h2>
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<p><em>In November 2018, students from
throughout the United States and Canada
gathered on the campus of the University
of California, Los Angeles, for the
eighth annual National Students for
Justice in Palestine conference. In
advance of the conference, Israel
advocacy organizations mobilized a
widespread campaign to shut it down. </em></p>
<p><em>These efforts included demands and
legal threats from professional Israel
advocacy organizations, a </em><a
href="https://twitter.com/penamerican/status/1060638748537434113"><em>widely</em></a><em>
</em><a
href="https://www.thefire.org/as-los-angeles-city-council-demands-cancellation-of-students-for-justice-in-palestine-conference-ucla-backs-down-on-spurious-trademark-threat/"
target="_blank"><em>criticized</em></a><em>
resolution from the Los Angeles City
Council, petitions full of false
allegations of supporting terrorism from
pro-Israel students and alumni, a letter
from a member of Congress demanding UCLA
take unconstitutional action to cancel
the conference, and aggressive protests
before and during the conference where
protestors hurled racists insults and
reportedly physical assaulted three
students. During one protest, an LA City
Council member spoke to the crowd,
suggesting that student attendees of the
conference were “plotting terrorism.” </em></p>
<p><em>The university permitted the
conference to proceed, but not before
issuing an </em><a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/11/7/ucla-bear-trademark-nsjp"
target="_blank"><em>unsubstantiated
claim of trademark infringement</em></a><em>
and demanding that the conference alter
its logo. The university also required
an overwhelming presence of
administrators, campus police, and
private security throughout the
conference. </em></p>
<p><em>When the conference went forward,
Israel advocates responded by
immediately filing a complaint with the
federal government demanding that UCLA
be investigated for engaging in an
intentional act of antisemitism by
allowing the conference to take place. </em></p>
<p><em>Despite efforts to shut it down, the
conference was the largest in the
group’s history. </em></p>
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<p><strong>Lawsuits Against Airbnb: </strong>In
November, Airbnb announced its plan to stop
listing properties in illegal Israeli
settlements in the West Bank. Within weeks –
before Airbnb even implemented its decision –
the company faced an arbitration claim in New
York, a <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/airbnb-statement"
target="_blank">lawsuit</a> in a Delaware
federal court, <a
href="https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-18-18/s71818-4699792-176614.pdf"
target="_blank">complaint</a> <a
href="https://s22592.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/OAC-airbnb-letter-final-A.pdf"
target="_blank">letters</a> to the
Securities and Exchange Commission and the
Office of Antiboycott Compliance, and
announcements from lawmakers in <a
href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/illinois/articles/2018-11-29/illinois-governor-puts-pressure-on-airbnb-west-bank-decision"
target="_blank">Illinois</a> and <a
href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-ne-airbnb-israel-florida-20181128-story.html"
target="_blank">Florida</a> that they would
investigate blacklisting Airbnb under their
states’ anti-boycott laws. </p>
<p><strong>Legal Threat to Barnard College: </strong>In
August, the Lawfare Project sent a letter to
Barnard College, threatening the school with
criminal liability for supporting terrorism if
it went forward with hosting an event titled
“Breaking Bars: Fighting Incarceration from
the US to Palestine.” The event, which
featured speakers from the Palestinian human
rights and prisoner support group Addameer,
went on as planned despite the attempted
intimidation.</p>
<p>Activists frequently reported being blocked
by Twitter or Facebook or having content
removed because of posts criticizing Israel or
supporting Palestinian human rights. For
example, in July, the American-Jewish group
IfNotNow <a
href="https://forward.com/fast-forward/406927/facebook-removes-video-of-birthright-walkoff/"
target="_blank">reported</a> that a video of
a student walking out on an Israeli propaganda
tour had been deleted by Facebook without
explanation. In December, the online news
outlet Electronic Intifada reported that its
Twitter account had been <a
href="https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/twitter-enforcing-israeli-military-censorship"
target="_blank">locked</a> after posting a
link to an article on clandestine operations
of the Israeli military. </p>
<p>Universities also investigated students over
posts on Twitter and Facebook. </p>
<p><strong>Stanford Student Pressured to Resign:
</strong>In July, a Stanford student faced a
barrage of <a
href="https://palestinelegal.org/news/2018/8/3/stanford-palestinian-student-forced-to-resign-for-facebook-post-critical-of-zionism"
target="_blank">threats</a> and calls for
the school to fire him from his on-campus job
after he idiomatically used the phrase
“physically fight” in a Facebook post
criticizing a discriminatory Israeli law. He
was investigated by Stanford, a lawyer
threatened to sue the school, and an Israel
advocacy group filed a baseless criminal
complaint with local prosecutors. He
ultimately resigned from his position.</p>
<p><strong>Texas Student Banned from Class: </strong>In
October, a student at the University of Texas
at Austin was <a
href="https://twitter.com/sassysamosa/status/1052781914254389248"
target="_blank">banned</a> from class after
posting a tweet referring to a classmate as a
Zionist. She was told her post was antisemitic
because the classmate, an outspoken supporter
of Israel, does not self-identify as a
Zionist. </p>
<p>Parents and pro-Israel groups launched
campaigns against teachers at several high
schools for teaching about Palestine and
acknowledging Palestinian deaths. </p>
<p><strong>Hearing on History Curriculum</strong>:<strong>
</strong>High school teachers in Newton,
Massachusetts, who taught their students about
the Middle East had to <a
href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/11/27/newton-teachers-students-defend-history-curriculum/Esv14PURxJXFaD9MKcl9UI/story.html"
target="_blank">defend</a> their history
curriculum against claims of anti-Israel and
pro-Muslim bias, culminating in a public
hearing in November. </p>
<p><strong>History Teachers Forced Out</strong>:
A history teacher at a New York City prep
school faced an <a
href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/riverdale-country-school-bronx-israel-palestine_us_5b732fc2e4b0594c38c5af2a"
target="_blank">investigation</a> in May
after he posted an Amnesty International
article and the names of Palestinians who had
been killed on the door of his classroom. The
posting sparked a coordinated campaign against
the teacher in which he was falsely accused of
bias in the classroom. The campaign also swept
up the head of the history department, who
resigned in protest after his course on Israel
and Palestine was canceled.</p>
<p><strong>Death Threat After Moment of Silence</strong>:
In May, the assistant principal at a New York
City public school received a <a
href="https://forward.com/fast-forward/401942/beacon-school-official-threatened-over-gaza-moment-of-silence/"
target="_blank">death threat</a> and a
petition from parents accusing the school of
supporting terrorism and violating school
regulations after the school held a moment of
silence for Palestinians killed during
protests in Gaza.</p>
<p>Throughout the year, activists in the
movement for Palestine rights reported being
bombarded online with graphic death threats
after their names were publicized on
right-wing pro-Israel websites. Several
students reported being physically assaulted
by Zionists on campus. One reported attack
took place at <a
href="https://medium.com/jewish-socialism/open-letter-to-la-councilmember-koretz-on-his-actions-regarding-students-for-justice-in-palestine-88f13f27c8"
target="_blank">UCLA</a> in the days leading
up to the National Students for Justice in
Palestine conference and involved a far-right
group called Yad Yamin. Members of the Jewish
Defense League, another far-right group
designated by the FBI as terrorist
organization, were <a
href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/few-turnout-for-columbia-u-rally-to-call-on-admin-to-protect-pro-israel-students/"
target="_blank">prominently visible</a> at a
rally at Columbia University in October, where
one attendee called on pro-Israel students to
engage in physical aggression.</p>
<p>The majority of suppression incidents are
based on underlying false accusations of
antisemitism and/or support for terrorism.
Palestine Legal responded to 142 incidents
where Israel advocates levied false
accusations of antisemitism based solely on
speech supportive of Palestinian rights,
making up 51 percent of our caseload. In 93
incidents – 33 percent of our cases –
activists were falsely accused of supporting
violence or terrorism based solely on speech
supportive of Palestine. </p>
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