Good Intentions, Harmful Actions: The Problem with CC Students for Palestine

Over this past winter break, I was disappointed (though not surprised) by a post from “CC Students for Palestine” (CCSP) on Instagram, dated Dec. 25. The post was a poor attempt to argue that Jesus was “a Jewish Palestinian refugee” (Judea was the name of the region until the failed Bar Kokhba revolt, after which the Romans renamed it Palestine in reference to the Philistines, one of the ancient enemies of the Jews) and that those “celebrating Christmas in Palestine are doing so under siege and occupation.” Beyond the glaring lapse in critical thinking, the post revealed much more than it intended. On the surface, the post appears to reflect a political stance by Connecticut College students who believe there is an immense tragedy in the world and feel compelled to address it. While I commend their dedication to a cause, I believe they are advocating for a distorted narrative that overlooks the true obstacles to peace in the Middle East—primarily, the Palestinian leadership. However, my concern is not solely with the social media post itself but with the underlying factors that led to such a message being posted in the first place.

I am fortunate to have access to a wide range of literature, and recently I have been reading and listening to books and podcasts that focus on global affairs, particularly from a foreign policy perspective. One of the most influential works I encountered during this break was “Cobalt Red,” a Pulitzer finalist by NYT journalist Siddharth Kara. In this book, Kara delves into the historical and contemporary issues surrounding the supply chain of cobalt from the Congo—issues that include slavery, corruption, and exploitation. Kara describes the atrocities that the Congolese have endured and continues to endure, concluding with a grim outlook for the future. He also explores how companies like Apple, Samsung, Tesla, and Glencore have made billions by profiting from these human rights violations.

While reading “Cobalt Red,” I took a break and scrolled through social media, diving into previous posts from CCSP when a friend had sent over one of their recent posts. On Oct. 21, they posted their demands, including a call for the college to “disclose their investment portfolio” and “divest from all companies listed on the BDS guidelines.” Another quote that stood out was the demand: “Conn administration must acknowledge whether the institution profits from violence and war-related industries, either directly or indirectly.” This is where I was struck. The very students who created and supported CCSP have no issue wearing Nike or Shein clothing made in sweatshops, using their iPhones, or driving electric cars powered by cobalt mined through the very slavery Kara describes. They don’t seem to acknowledge the cognitive dissonance in their actions. Whenever they are in dialogue with others, do they constantly state that they benefit from the exploitation in their lives? No. This leads me to argue that students behind CCSP are not truly advocating for justice or human rights. Rather, they are following the latest trend of condemning Israel—and, by extension, Jews.

It’s important to note that criticism of Israel is not inherently antisemitic. I, too, have critiqued the Israeli government at times without any desire to harm my Jewish peers. However, as Paul Berman discusses in “Blacks and Jews” (a fantastic collection of essays by figures such as bell hooks, Shelby Steele, and James Baldwin), anti-Israel sentiment can sometimes foster the growth of antisemitism. Berman describes a hypothetical conversation between a Jewish American and an African American who, after developing anti-Israel views, begins to harbor resentment toward his former Jewish ally. The Jewish individual in this conversation warns, “You are helping to prepare the moral ground for what may someday turn into a new outbreak of anti-Semitic horror in the Middle East.” Unfortunately, this is precisely what CCSP is doing with their reckless rhetoric. They are not only acting to harm Israel, but—likely without realizing it—they are perpetuating anti-Semitic sentiments. This became glaringly evident during the spring semester of 2024 when CCSP students chalked antisemitic and anti-Israel slogans across campus. More recently, the organization hosted a misguided “Whitebox” art exhibit that mirrored Hamas and BDS propaganda. The exhibit ignored the positive aspects of Israeli-Arab relations—such as the Oslo and Abraham Accords—while distorting the history of the 1948 Israeli-Arab War and focusing only on the negatives.

Furthermore, their actions have not only harmed their cause but also undermined the credibility of other justice initiatives. Feminism, a critical issue that demands global support to advance women’s rights, has been dragged into their misguided actions. The “CC Feminist Coalition” (CCFC), which is supposed to champion women’s rights, has unfortunately allowed itself to be co-opted by CCSP’s agenda. Instead of highlighting important global women’s movements, CCFC has focused exclusively on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, completely ignoring other pressing issues like the recent disturbing report about Matt Gaetz (see “House Ethics Report Says Matt Gaetz Regularly Paid Women for Sex” in The Wall Street Journal). Rather than propelling women forward, CCFC has aligned itself with CCSP and abandoned its core mission. Ironically, CCFC continues to denounce Israel and support BDS. What they fail to recognize is that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East that offers rights such as voting and conscription to women. It also boasts Golda Meir, a woman, as a former prime minister. Yes, Israel is actually a place where women enjoy rights not afforded in many other Middle Eastern countries, and where a woman has led the nation as prime minister.

However, this behavior is not limited to CCSP or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Around the world, there are countless devastating crises that also deserve attention. Ukraine is resisting Russian imperialism and relies heavily on external allies to continue its struggle against a true colonial state (an inaccurate charge often leveled against Israel, but that’s a topic for another essay). Sudan is ravaged by a resurgence of civil war and famine, with 25 million people suffering severe starvation and 14 million displaced. Syria continues to suffer even after the ousting of the al-Assad dictatorship, as it is now facing a power vacuum that is being exploited by militias such as HTS. Bangladesh has been the subject of intense student strikes that have led to anarchy in the country. These are not the only major tragedies and conflicts occurring but they are among the most familiar to many.

Despite the many pressing global issues, I have yet to see a “CC Students for Ukraine,” “CC Students for Sudan,” or “CC Students for the Congo” to support these other critical geopolitical matters. Critics of my point may argue that being at a small school could be a “numbers issue”—i.e. there are not enough Conn students to create and sustain these social justice groups. If that is the case, then why don’t Conn students create an umbrella organization, like “CC Justice for the Antagonized,” through which they can advocate for Ukrainians, Congolese, and Sudanese people who are all in need of their support? These student activists remain silent on these true struggles and continue to push the CCSP narrative, largely due to the media they consume. On their TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat pages, they see other college campuses engaging in demonstrations and, in turn, choose to mimic (albeit weakly) those movements. In fact, the common thread running through these global crises is the absence of Jews and Israelis from the narrative.

I’m not suggesting that these students formed CCSP out of hatred for Jews, nor do I believe they are indifferent to other global tragedies. In fact, I would argue that most of these students likely share many of the same values as I do. We would both support Ukraine’s resistance to Russian colonialism. We would both advocate for an end to the exploitation of the Congolese people by multinational corporations and adversaries such as China. We would both support efforts to broker peace in Sudan. Ultimately, I believe that CCSP members, like myself, would like to see a peaceful resolution in Israel, where both Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side. As of the time of writing, Israel has significantly diminished Hezbollah and Hamas leadership, which has brought both terrorist organizations to the negotiating table, and they have currently signed unstable peace treaties. Israel has agreed to release a significant number of convicted terrorists—some of whom have murdered hundreds of innocent people—in exchange for civilians and female soldiers.

In conclusion, while I believe the students behind CCSP have good intentions, their actions often speak louder than their words—and unfortunately, those actions are misguided and harmful. The belief in divestment, for example, is flawed; research, including that done during the South Africa Divestment Movement, shows that divestment rarely leads to meaningful change (see “Dear Columbia Students, Divestment From Israel Won’t Work” from The Wall Street Journal). If CCSP and its members truly cared about justice and humanity, they would abandon their efforts and focus on work that can create real change—whether by joining think tanks/campaigns, writing to legislators, or supporting NGOs that address these global crises in meaningful ways. I do hope that, in the near future, the Connecticut College Board of Trustees does the right thing and rejects the unrealistic divestment proposal. There is a reason other colleges and universities, such as Brown University, have rejected similar campaigns (see “Brown Rejects Calls to Divest from Companies in Connection with Pro-Palestinian Protests on Campus”).