Students drop claim of Israeli genocide in Gaza
An accusation that Israel has committed genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza has been dropped by students at the University of Manchester following a backlash.
The 2,000-word motion, which expresses solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war, was withdrawn earlier this week.
It was lodged with the university's student union (UMSU) by a student from the university's Friends of Palestine group several months ago.
The motion accuses Israel 'in its entirety' of being 'an apartheid settler-colonial state committing ongoing genocide against Palestinians' and recognises that 'as an occupied nation, the people of Palestine have the right to armed resistance under international law.'
It also urged full support for the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement against Israel.
In addition, the motion argues that a two-state solution has become 'impossible' due to the 'continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine' and advocates for a 'single, free, multi-faith Palestinian state'.
Manchester University's Friends of Israel Society was outraged by the motion and wrote to the UMSU, setting out why the proposal and the procedure for considering it were unlawful. It said the statement contained 'false and one-sided allegations'.
In March, a debate took place, and Jewish students put forward nine amendments to the motion, but these were rejected.
These included one that would have recognised Hamas as a terrorist organisation and another calling on Hamas to release the remaining hostages it still holds captive. A third urged the student union to refrain from 'glorifying' violence against Israeli civilians.
Jewish students held a silent protest outside the building where the meeting took place, holding pictures of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.
Commenting on the motion being withdrawn, Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKFLI), who worked with the Friends of Israel Society on getting the motion dropped, said: 'We are very pleased with this outcome, which clearly results from drawing attention to the student union's legal obligations.
'Student unions must conduct political debates fairly, must not discriminate against Jewish or Israeli students, and must not engage in political campaigns outside their charitable objects.
'We congratulate Naomi Brookarsh, president of the Israel Society at Manchester University, on her work resisting this attempt to misuse the student union to intimidate Jewish students and other students who support Israel.'
A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), who also wrote to the union and university to express concerns, told The Telegraph: 'Manchester University Students' Union disregarded the concerns of Jewish students and regulations for charities when it tried to advance this reckless and divisive motion.
'Whether or not it is meant as such here, the phrase 'armed resistance' is commonly used in this context as a euphemism for terrorism and the destruction of the Jewish state.
'At a minimum, this motion aspired to deprive the Jewish people of their right to self-determination.
'These motions do nothing to change things in the Middle East but contribute to the ostracisation of Jewish students on campus.
'This motion never should have been even drafted, let alone put forward. Jewish students have the same right to feel safe on their campus as any other group.
'We wrote to the students' union and are pleased to see that the motion has been withdrawn, even if there was no remorse in the withdrawal statement.
'We will continue to tackle extremism and antisemitism on university campuses wherever we find it.'
In a statement, the UMSU apologised for the length of time it took to consider the motion and said: 'We will be reviewing our democratic processes as a result.'
It added: 'We stand in full solidarity with the Palestinian resistance to ongoing genocide in Gaza.
'The double standards held over colonised people compared to those doing the colonising are absurd.
'Those in support of Palestinian liberation are required to constantly qualify their support of basic human rights, whilst Israel continues its extermination, starvation and 'conquest' of Palestinians undeterred.'
It went on to criticise charity law, which it said prevented students' unions from taking 'principled positions and resourcing campaigns on the most pressing issues of our day'.
In a statement issued previously, the University of Manchester said it considered 'aspects of this motion to be wholly unacceptable'.
It added that it had raised 'serious concerns with the students' union regarding its wording, particularly where it risks undermining the principles of equality, safety, and wellbeing.'
The University of Manchester has been approached for further comment.
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