Palestine Legal's Top 12 Blogs of 2019
/2019 was a big year for activists supporting Palestinian freedom. This growing movement has shifted the national conversation—creating space for members of Congress to openly support Palestinian rights, and even the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) for the first time.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar have in turn drawn attention to the right to boycott and Israel’s human rights abuses. They have also served as high profile examples of many of the issues our clients have experienced for years - being denied entry to Palestine, falsely smeared and even physically threatened for their support of Palestinian rights and criticism of Israel.
Palestine Legal is committed to uplifting important stories reflecting the widespread suppression of Palestine advocacy that might not have gotten into the national spotlight and providing new analysis on the stories that have. As we enter 2020, here’s a look back at our most-read blog posts from 2019:
12. Statement on Trump’s Silencing of Palestine Advocacy (December 10, 2019)
Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order that weaponizes a distorted definition of antisemitism to target Palestine advocacy on college campuses. Our statement addresses why Trump’s order is so problematic and the impact it could have on student activism.
11. Success: Judge Allows Lawsuit Against Texas Anti-BDS Law To Proceed (July 25, 2019)
Laws aimed at punishing or limiting boycotts for Palestinian rights have been adopted in 27 U.S. states. In a number of states, people of conscience impacted by these laws have successfully blocked enforcement of the laws on First Amendment grounds. States have responded by tweaking their laws to avoid judicial review. In July, a federal judge saw through Texas’s effort to circumvent the Constitution, ruling that a lawsuit against the Texas anti-boycott law could continue, despite the state’s efforts to circumvent the suit by amending the law.
10. Lawsuit Dismissed Against American Studies Association Over Israel Boycott (February 5, 2019)
In 2019, anti-Palestinian groups continued their efforts to silence activists by subjecting them to tedious and frivolous lawsuits. American Studies Association members passed a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions in 2013 by a 2 to 1 margin after months of open debate. In the aftermath of the vote, Israel advocacy groups filed multiple lawsuits against the association and several ASA professors. Reflecting a trend in which people of color face disproportionate and racist attacks over their support for Palestinian freedom, the scholars targeted in the lawsuits were primarily of color and queer. Last February, a district court in Washington, D.C., dismissed the federal case against ASA members. It has since been appealed, while another similar case was filed in state court.
9. Success! NJ Library Reinstates Palestine Children's Book Event (June 5, 2019)
In May, pro-Israel groups forced a New Jersey public library to cancel a reading of the children’s book “P is for Palestine” after an outrage campaign and threats of violence. Palestine Legal, the Center for Constitutional Rights and ACLU-NJ wrote the library board of trustees, warning that the cancellation violated the First Amendment and New Jersey’s state constitution. On June 6, the library reinstated the event, which took place in October.
8. UCLA Wrongly Investigates Lecture Linking Zionism with White Supremacy (May 31, 2019)
Also in May, UCLA students filed discrimination complaints after a guest lecturer in an anthropology course compared Zionism and white supremacy in the context of settler colonialism and its impacts in the U.S., Israel, and Palestine. In a chilling blow to academic freedom, UCLA opened an investigation into the anthropology professor who hosted the lecture. After the investigation was closed, an Israel proxy group filed a complaint with the federal government alleging that UCLA’s response was insufficient.
7. Pro-Israel Students Drop Case Against UMass Amherst Over Palestine Event (December 13, 2019)
In April, three anonymous pro-Israel students filed a lawsuit against the University of Massachusetts Amherst for hosting an event “Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech and the Battle for Palestinian Human Rights.” The event, which featured speakers Linda Sarsour, Marc Lamont Hill, Roger Waters, among others, took place with an audience of 2,000 people. Students who sued the university claimed that the university discriminated against them by allowing the event. In July, a Boston judge ruled that the students could not hide behind a veil of anonymity if they wanted the case to move forward. In December, the judge dismissed the case after the plaintiffs’ attorney voluntarily withdrew the suit. Palestine Legal provided legal support in the suit.
6. First Senate Bill Favors Israel Over Free Speech (January 7, 2019)
In January, in the middle of the government shutdown, the first bill introduced in the Senate authorized state and municipal governments to enact anti-boycott laws targeting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns for Palestinian rights. Similar bills were introduced in 2016 and 2017, but were not successful. The bill, S1, eventually passed the Senate, but failed to move forward in the House in 2019. Palestine Legal has opposed anti-boycott measures on the state and federal level, as they infringe on the First Amendment-protected right to engage in political boycotts.
5. Top 10 Quotes from Texas Court Decision Blocking Anti-BDS Law (April 26, 2019)
In April, a federal judge issued a strong First Amendment defense of boycotts for Palestinian rights in a decision to enjoin Texas’s anti-boycott law. “BDS boycotts are not only inherently expressive, but as a form of expression on a public issue, rest on ‘the highest rung of the hierarchy of First Amendment values,’” the judge wrote. Texas has appealed the judge’s decision, and the case is currently pending in the Fifth Circuit.
4. Over 30 New York scholars and activists spied on by former Mossad agents (February 28, 2019)
In 2017, Palestine Legal advised over 30 individuals who were targeted by a fake legal threats and cease and desist orders by an anonymous blacklisting website. In February 2019, a New Yorker expose by Adam Entous revealed that former Israeli intelligence agents were behind these threats, as part of a multimillion dollar effort to intimidate advocates for Palestinian freedom.
3. Florida Redefines Antisemitism to Censor Criticism of Israel (May 30, 2019)
Months before Trump’s executive order, Florida passed a law adopting the same distorted redefinition of antisemitism to target research and advocacy for Palestinian freedom in the state’s public schools and universities. Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law in Jerusalem, during a trip where he met with settlement advocates and held the first Florida cabinet meeting outside of Florida. The First Amendment Foundation and four major news organizations sued DeSantis over the cabinet meeting, arguing that it violated Florida law.
2. Fordham University Students Win Landmark Fight to Establish Palestine Club (August 6, 2019)
Our second-most read blog in 2019 featured our biggest success of the year: winning a lawsuit against Fordham University over their decision to ban Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on campus. We sued Fordham in 2017 with the Center for Constitutional Rights and cooperating counsel Alan Levine. This August, a judge ordered Fordham to recognize SJP, in a victory for free speech and advocacy for Palestinian freedom. Awad, et al. v. Fordham University was the first lawsuit in the country challenging institutional censorship of students advocating for justice in Palestine, and this win was a major legal victory for free speech for advocates of Palestine on college campuses.
1. Ten things to know about anti-boycott legislation (March 27, 2019)
Our most read blog of 2019 was 10 Things to Know About Anti-Boycott Legislation. From the Senate’s anti-boycott bill in January and efforts in the House to condemn the boycott movement, to proposed state anti-boycott legislation and lawsuits against anti-boycott policies around the country, journalists, activists, academics and the general public have all sought clarity on what these measures mean and where they come from. This resource--and our Right to Boycott site tracking this legislation--will continue to be updated in the coming year with a new layout, an interactive map, searchable resources, and a lot more!
Stay tuned for our annual report on 2019 trends in suppression, due out in January 2020.
If you’re a journalist interested in covering these stories or learning more about efforts to suppress Palestine advocacy, reach out at media@palestinelegal.org.