After state party heads Wednesday called for leaders of a University of Iowa-based student organization of Democrats to resign over a statement deemed offensive related to the Israel-Hamas war, the Iowa State University College Democrats joined the fray by disaffiliating from the Iowa Democratic Party.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly,” according to the ISU College Democrats statement. “But one that we believe is in the best interest of our club and our commitment to advancing our values and principles.”
The University Democrats at Iowa posted Wednesday on social media a statement expressing support for Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas war. The statement, which since has been deleted, ended with, “May every Palestinian live long and free, from the river to the sea,” according to The Daily Iowan.
The phrase “from the river to the sea” refers to the land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea. Palestinians have used the phrase for decades to call for the restoration of the land where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians once lived before being forced to leave with the establishment in Israel in 1948, Jessica Winegar, a sociocultural anthropologist at Northwestern University who studies political protest and the Middle East, recently told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The phrase also has been adopted by antisemitic people and groups and is seen by many as a call for the elimination of Israel and the Jewish people. The Anti-Defamation League calls it an “antisemitic slogan.”
“This rallying cry has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), which seek Israel’s destruction through violent means,” the Anti-Defamation League states on its website. “It is fundamentally a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state. It is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.”
Late Wednesday, shortly after the University Democrats at Iowa statement was posted, Iowa Democratic Party state Chair Rita Hart issued a statement condemning the college group’s statement and calling for the resignation of any member who signed it.
“The Iowa Democratic Party was recently made aware of a statement made by University Democrats at Iowa, which included problematic antisemitic slogans including ‘from the river to the sea Palestine will be free.’ Let's be very clear. That is a call for Jewish genocide and we wholly condemn that offensive language,” Hart said in the statement. “The Iowa Democratic Party stands with the innocent civilians, Israeli and Palestinian, that have had their lives ruined by the terrorist group Hamas. The Iowa Democratic Party has requested the resignations of the student representatives who signed the letter.”
University Democrats at Iowa Vice President Kiana Shevling-Major, Secretary Olivia Martin, and Treasurer Matthew Charles signed the since-deleted statement, according to The Daily Iowan.
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“We shamelessly and fully support Palestine,” the statement said, according to The Daily Iowan. “The ongoing violence against millions of innocent people is egregious and the perpetuation of it by the United States of America and other western states is even more so. … We will protest, advocate, and fight for the human rights of all, for the human rights of Palestine.”
None of the student leaders for the group responded to questions from The Gazette on Thursday. The group also hasn’t posted on any of its social media channels since pulling down the controversial statement Wednesday.
The ISU College Democrats, though, posted Thursday on Facebook a letter formally disaffiliating from the Iowa Democratic Party.
That statement notes the decision to part ways was driven by several factors, including the way the state party has “treated the University of Iowa Democrats.”
“We believe in the importance of unity and solidarity among college Democratic clubs across the state, and the recent events involving the University of Iowa Democrats have deeply troubled us,” according to the ISU club letter. “Furthermore, we question the need for the (Iowa Democratic Party) to exert control over our club.”
The Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7 with a military attack on Israel by Hamas, a terrorist organization that controls the Gaza strip. The initial attacks killed roughly 1,400 Israelis.
Israel’s government has pledged, in response, to eradicate Hamas in Gaza. Since then, roughly 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Associated Press.
The Iowa Board of Regents, which governs Iowa’s three public universities, also issued a statement in response to the University Democrats at Iowa statement.
“The Board of Regents fully supports the people and State of Israel, and are steadfast in our solidarity with them. We condemn all acts of terrorism,” regents president Mike Richards said in the statement.
The regents and its public universities in recent years have come under fire for free and restrictive speech controversies across their campuses, compelling the board in 2019 to adopt a new free speech policy and create a new “free speech and student affairs committee.”
Part of the board policy explicitly prohibits the universities from denying benefits and privileges available to student organizations based on the viewpoint of a student organization.“
When asked about the new policy and this week’s controversy, board spokesman Josh Lehman stressed the board and the universities support the free exchange of ideas on campus.
“The board’s fundamental commitment is to the principle that debate or deliberation must not be suppressed merely because the viewpoints presented are considered by some or even most members of the campus community to be unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive,” Lehman said, quoting the relevant part of the policy. “It is not the responsibility of the universities to shield individual members of the campus community from viewpoints they may find unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive. Rather, it is the responsibility of individual members of the campus community to make these determinations for themselves and to respond, not by seeking to suppress speech, but to openly and vigorously debate those viewpoints that they oppose."
www.thegazette.com
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly,” according to the ISU College Democrats statement. “But one that we believe is in the best interest of our club and our commitment to advancing our values and principles.”
The University Democrats at Iowa posted Wednesday on social media a statement expressing support for Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas war. The statement, which since has been deleted, ended with, “May every Palestinian live long and free, from the river to the sea,” according to The Daily Iowan.
The phrase “from the river to the sea” refers to the land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea. Palestinians have used the phrase for decades to call for the restoration of the land where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians once lived before being forced to leave with the establishment in Israel in 1948, Jessica Winegar, a sociocultural anthropologist at Northwestern University who studies political protest and the Middle East, recently told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The phrase also has been adopted by antisemitic people and groups and is seen by many as a call for the elimination of Israel and the Jewish people. The Anti-Defamation League calls it an “antisemitic slogan.”
“This rallying cry has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), which seek Israel’s destruction through violent means,” the Anti-Defamation League states on its website. “It is fundamentally a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state. It is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.”
Late Wednesday, shortly after the University Democrats at Iowa statement was posted, Iowa Democratic Party state Chair Rita Hart issued a statement condemning the college group’s statement and calling for the resignation of any member who signed it.
“The Iowa Democratic Party was recently made aware of a statement made by University Democrats at Iowa, which included problematic antisemitic slogans including ‘from the river to the sea Palestine will be free.’ Let's be very clear. That is a call for Jewish genocide and we wholly condemn that offensive language,” Hart said in the statement. “The Iowa Democratic Party stands with the innocent civilians, Israeli and Palestinian, that have had their lives ruined by the terrorist group Hamas. The Iowa Democratic Party has requested the resignations of the student representatives who signed the letter.”
University Democrats at Iowa Vice President Kiana Shevling-Major, Secretary Olivia Martin, and Treasurer Matthew Charles signed the since-deleted statement, according to The Daily Iowan.
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“We shamelessly and fully support Palestine,” the statement said, according to The Daily Iowan. “The ongoing violence against millions of innocent people is egregious and the perpetuation of it by the United States of America and other western states is even more so. … We will protest, advocate, and fight for the human rights of all, for the human rights of Palestine.”
None of the student leaders for the group responded to questions from The Gazette on Thursday. The group also hasn’t posted on any of its social media channels since pulling down the controversial statement Wednesday.
The ISU College Democrats, though, posted Thursday on Facebook a letter formally disaffiliating from the Iowa Democratic Party.
That statement notes the decision to part ways was driven by several factors, including the way the state party has “treated the University of Iowa Democrats.”
“We believe in the importance of unity and solidarity among college Democratic clubs across the state, and the recent events involving the University of Iowa Democrats have deeply troubled us,” according to the ISU club letter. “Furthermore, we question the need for the (Iowa Democratic Party) to exert control over our club.”
The Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7 with a military attack on Israel by Hamas, a terrorist organization that controls the Gaza strip. The initial attacks killed roughly 1,400 Israelis.
Israel’s government has pledged, in response, to eradicate Hamas in Gaza. Since then, roughly 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Associated Press.
The Iowa Board of Regents, which governs Iowa’s three public universities, also issued a statement in response to the University Democrats at Iowa statement.
“The Board of Regents fully supports the people and State of Israel, and are steadfast in our solidarity with them. We condemn all acts of terrorism,” regents president Mike Richards said in the statement.
The regents and its public universities in recent years have come under fire for free and restrictive speech controversies across their campuses, compelling the board in 2019 to adopt a new free speech policy and create a new “free speech and student affairs committee.”
Part of the board policy explicitly prohibits the universities from denying benefits and privileges available to student organizations based on the viewpoint of a student organization.“
When asked about the new policy and this week’s controversy, board spokesman Josh Lehman stressed the board and the universities support the free exchange of ideas on campus.
“The board’s fundamental commitment is to the principle that debate or deliberation must not be suppressed merely because the viewpoints presented are considered by some or even most members of the campus community to be unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive,” Lehman said, quoting the relevant part of the policy. “It is not the responsibility of the universities to shield individual members of the campus community from viewpoints they may find unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive. Rather, it is the responsibility of individual members of the campus community to make these determinations for themselves and to respond, not by seeking to suppress speech, but to openly and vigorously debate those viewpoints that they oppose."
ISU org splits with state party after it condemned UI group’s ‘antisemitic slogans’
The University Democrats of Iowa statement expressed support for Palestine while using the phrase ‘from the river to the sea,’ which has a complex and sometimes antisemitic history.
www.thegazette.com
