Issues: Anti-Palestinian Discrimination, False Accusations

Palestine Legal and co-counsel Benjamin Douglas initiated a civil rights complaint against George Washington University challenging GW's selective and discriminatory cancelation of trauma support services for Palestinian students.

As Israel’s violence against Palestinians escalated in May 2021, Nada Elbasha, an advocacy specialist at George Washington University’s (GW) Office of Advocacy and Support (OAS), and her colleagues noticed that students appeared to be impacted by Israel’s attempts at forcibly expelling Palestinians in Jerusalem and its killing of nearly 200 in the Gaza Strip.

OAS is tasked with providing support for members of the GW community experiencing trauma and had previously offered healing spaces for Asian students, Black students and other community members impacted by racism and/or state violence during that same school year. In some cases, OAS issued broader statements of support, including statements in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and against anti-Asian hate.

OAS employees believed that offering a processing space for Palestinians would help, as it had when other communities were impacted by violence. So on May 13, the office issued a statement acknowledging the anti-Palestinian violence and offering support. And on June 2, OAS advertised a virtual healing space for Palestinian students to be held the next day.

But within 24 hours of advertising the support service on Instagram, high-level GW officials directed OAS to cancel the event and remove the post, which had also expressed support for Palestinian human rights.

GW administrators, including a representative from the Board of Trustees and the President’s Office, ordered OAS to publish an apology stating that the previous post “did not create a safe space for all members of our community.”

Elbasha later learned that the GW student group Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) was also directed to remove a Palestine solidarity post after they had similarly offered trauma support to Palestinian students on Instagram. Both SASA and OAS were told that supporting Palestinian human rights and providing support to Palestinians were harmful to Jewish students.

GW then initiated an “audit” of OAS, which is still ongoing as of January 2022. Under the conditions of the audit, OAS is no longer allowed to post to social media or communicate with professors on behalf of students.

On November 8, 2021, Palestine Legal sent a letter with co-counsel to then GW president Thomas LeBlanc informing the university that their selective cancellation of support services for Palestinian community members constitutes national origin discrimination and demanding that the university reverse its decision.

Elbasha initiated a civil rights complaint against GW the following day asserting that the university is violating the DC Human Rights Act, which in part prohibits national origin discrimination in educational institutions.

GW responded in November stating that the university’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Access Office (EEOA) would open an investigation into the issue, but by mid-December 2021, the EEOA director resigned from her position at GW.

As of January 2022, two of the three OAS employees also resigned from their positions in the wake of the controversy, leaving Elbasha as the office’s only current employee.

GW still has not ceased or rectified its discrimination against its Palestinian community members.

Timeline >>

May 13, 2021: The Office of Advocacy and Support (OAS) posts on Instagram acknowledging “the violence occurring in Israel and Palestine” and offering support to the community.

June 2, 2021: OAS posts on Instagram announcing a virtual processing space for the next day “dedicated to the healing of those in the Palestinian diaspora.” The post also expresses support for “Palestinian human rights and liberation” and condemns Israeli apartheid.

OAS Assistant Director Tamara Washington receives a phone call from GW Hillel Executive Director Adena Kirstein, who complains about the post and alleges that it was harmful to Jewish students.

Assistant Vice President of Health and Safety Kathleen Fox calls OAS and demands that the office remove the post and cancel the processing space. OAS employees feel they had no option but to remove the post or be fired.

OAS deletes its May 13 and June 2 Instagram posts.

June 3, 2021: OAS posts an Instagram story stating that the virtual processing space has been postponed. Assistant VP Fox and GW Assistant Director of Media Relations Crystal Newcombe pressure OAS to publish an additional statement, drafted by GW administrators, apologizing for the initial post.

July 2021: Elbasha learns that the GW student group Students Against Sexual Assault had posted a similar statement offering its own healing space and support for Palestinian rights and was told by GW administrators to remove the post.

Oct. 2021: A prevention specialist at OAS leaves GW in response to the university’s censorship and retaliation against her office and its services.

Nov. 8, 2021: Palestine Legal sends a letter to GW demanding that the university reverse its decision to selectively cancel support services for Palestinian community members.

Nov. 9, 2021: Palestine Legal and co-counsel Benjamin Douglas initiate a civil rights complaint on behalf of Elbasha against GW asserting that in disciplining OAS the university violated the DC Human Rights Act.

Nov. 15, 2021: GW responds to the letter stating that the university’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Access Office, directed by Vickie Fair, will investigate the issue.

Nov. 19, 2021: Dozens of GW students protest on campus against the university’s anti-Palestinian discrimination. The protest is organized by the GW chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Nov. 22, 2021: GW President Thomas J. LeBlanc issues a university-wide email announcing an investigation into Elbaha’s complaint. The statement does not apologize for GW’s decision to cancel a processing space for Palestinians suffering from trauma nor does it indicate whether GW has reversed its decision to prevent trauma support staff from explicitly including Palestinians in their programs.

Nov. 23, 2021: GW Students for Justice in Palestine issues a response to President LeBlanc's statement, calling it “vague, inadequate and ineffective” and demanding concrete action from GW to support Palestinian students.

Dec. 2021: Vickie Fair resigns from her position at GW’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Access Office. GW retains an outside firm to investigate Elbasha’s complaint.

Jan. 2022: A second OAS employee, Elbasha’s supervisor and the director of OAS, resigns due to the university’s actions. Elbasha is now OAS’s sole remaining employee and her interim supervisor is Kathleen Fox, GW’s Assistant Vice President of Health and Safety. In June 2021, it was Fox who directed OAS to publish a statement apologizing for their support for Palestinian students.

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George Washington came under fire and received widespread media attention for anti-Palestinian discrimination in 2015, when campus police ordered a Palestinian pre-med student to remove a Palestinian flag from his window, while flags of other nationalities were undisturbed. GW's president apologized for the discriminatory removal of the Palestinian flag after Palestine Legal intervened on behalf of the student.

Cases

Anti-Palestinian Discrimination & Retaliation at GW University

Palestine Legal and co-counsel Benjamin Douglas initiated a civil rights complaint against George Washington University challenging GW's selective and discriminatory cancelation of trauma support services for Palestinian students.

Timeline >>

Documents >>

Statements and Action Alerts >>

Media >>

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