The June 10, 2021 resolution of the Delegate Assembly (DA) of the PSC-CUNY union supports a violent Palestinian leadership and fails to mention the victims, both Israeli and Palestinian, of that leadership. This provides absolute support for those leaders and for Iranian paymasters of Hamas who instill hatred of Jews and Israel from the earliest age and spurn any resolution of the conflict that leaves Israel standing. This dehumanizes those who yearn for peace, both among Palestinians and Israelis. By creating a false narrative and laying out a path towards the boycott of Israel, the PSC resolution projects the hatred of Jews nurtured through the ages into our time and place. The DA resolution is an iconic expression of a new antisemitism, a movement which is proud of its hostility to Israel and stands with Palestinian leadership sworn to destroy the Jewish state, no matter the cost to their people. The resolution seeks to break the common bonds of humanity, intellectual integrity, and unfettered discussion that are essential for a flourishing civil society and university.

The bias built into the resolution is evident in the fact that this is the only resolution by the DA condemning a foreign country. There are no resolutions that condemn nations that, unlike Israel, actually abuse human rights. You will not find any DA resolution touching upon the Russian and Iranian assault on Syria, the mass imprisonment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the suppression of civil liberties in Hong Kong, and on and on.

Though there is no PSC resolution regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the PSC leadership  is working on a statement that it has posted on its website condemning Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. There they state, “As educators, we value communication, dialogue, and mutual understanding as modes for resolving conflict, and we hold out hope that diplomacy and an avoidance of escalation can help bring an end to this war.” It is impressive that, even in the face of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, the PSC is able to appeal to the better angels of the Russian leadership to seek mutual understanding. A similar appeal is not made to Hamas as it arms for its next war with Israel. Instead, Hamas is granted a pass; it is not even mentioned in the PSC resolution. Instead, the state that is attacked is condemned, and “educators” who “value communication, dialogue, and mutual understanding as modes for resolving conflict,” call for all union chapters to consider the boycott of Israel so as to guarantee there is no communication or dialogue and that the conflict will never be resolved.

The exculpatory statement, “the PSC-CUNY condemns racism in all forms, including anti-Semitism” in the body of a resolution which uniquely demonizes, delegitimates, and applies a double standard to Israel is chilling. Clearly, members of the DA should become familiar with the widely recognized definition of antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and overturn their biased resolution. This definition makes clear that criticism of Israel, were it similar to criticism leveled against any other country, would not be considered to be antisemitic. A valuable discussion of these issues is provided in the Academic Engagement Network’s Antisemitism, Jewish Identity, and Freedom of Expression on Campus: A Guide and Resource Book for Faculty & University Leaders (January 2022)? It is downloadable for free.