Grand Canyon Times

Ahead of their Day of Resistance rallies across the country, the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) issued a "toolkit" document that refers to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack in Israel that left over 1200 dead, as "the resistance," and it further stated that student activities are part of the movement and not just in solidarity. While the document has led some schools to deactivate the group, the SJP currently operates on the campuses of Arizona State University and has been regularly holding rallies and walkouts.

SJP's toolkit document refers frequently to Hamas as "the resistance" and frames Israel as "the Zionist enemy" and "a violent settler state." According to the National SJP, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is part of the Palestinian people's "struggle for complete liberation and return." The toolkit proclaims that "National liberation is near— glory to our resistance, to our martyrs, and to our steadfast people," and emphasizes that "We as Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement."

According to the American Jewish Coalition, the death toll from Hamas' Operation Al-Aqsa Flood currently stands at 1210, and of the 240 taken hostage, about 137 are believed to remain in Gaza. The report also notes that hostages have been treated very badly under Hamas captivity and shares an account of two teenage boys who were branded with a motorcycle exhaust pipe so that they could be identified if they escaped.

ASU's SJP chapter posted a lengthy official statement condemning Israel and defending Hamas as "freedom fighters." According to the statement, "Palestinians are justified in using any means necessary to defend their existence." The statement concludes with a list of demands for ASU, calling on school administration to: "Boycott and divest from Israel;" "Provide emotional support and release a statement extending solidarity with Palestinian students;" and "End the multiple study abroad programs in the OPT [Occupied Palestinian Territories]."

The "Day of Resistance Rally for Palestine" was put on by the SJP on October 12, as prescribed by the toolkit. According to a report from Cronkite News, about 200 ASU students, faculty members—including associate professor and SJP faculty adviser Sujey Vega—and activists were at the rally. Attendees chanted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!" and marched with signs and Palestinian flags. They also demanded that ASU sever all its ties to Israel.

ASU's administration did not categorically denounce SJP's activities. Regarding the ASU SJP events, the university emailed the following statement to The Center Square Arizona, "The university is aware of the student-led demonstration on our Tempe campus. Students organized and promoted the event themselves. Arizona State University neither endorses nor restricts opinions voiced at campus demonstrations, as a matter of free speech."

A recent survey of college students across the US found that 86% supported the "from the river to the sea" chant, but only 47% were able to name the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. A Jerusalem Post article noted that two-thirds of the surveyed students went from supporting the chant to rejecting it after being presented with a handful of "basic facts about the Middle East."