This is one of six blogs highlighting themes in activism and backlash in May and June 2021.

Doctors, medical students and workers all faced attacks for Palestine advocacy, including pressure not to speak out, the removal of a piece on Palestinian health from a well-known scientific magazine, and a campaign to remove a Palestinian doctor from her post at a hospital.

Dean to Students: Don’t Post

In May, a dean at a public university on the East Coast ordered students not to make social media posts supporting “one side.” The dean later apologized, after students pushed back on First Amendment grounds, claiming that she had been worried about their job prospects.

Magazine Censors Medical Workers

In June, a group of health care workers published an op-ed in Scientific American magazine titled, “As Health Care Workers, We Stand in Solidarity with Palestine,” and pledged support for boycotts for Palestinian freedom in response to Israel’s violent repression of protests against its colonial policies and its bombing of Gaza. Following a pressure campaign by Israel groups, the journal removed the article two weeks later and replaced it with a note that it “fell out of scope.” This echoed targeted attacks by similar groups and pro-Israel doctors to unpublish a statement warning about COVID risks in Gaza from the Lancet medical journal in 2020. The authors, whose names continued to be listed on the site after their statement was removed, have faced a wave of online harassment.

DR. FIDAA WISHAH (VIA INTAL GS / TWITTER)

Doctor Targeted By Online Mob

In June, Phoenix-based pediatric radiologist Fidaa Wishah was targeted by an online mob for making a statement against the Israeli government’s efforts to suppress coverage of its attacks on Palestinians. Within two days of the smear campaign by StopAntisemitism.org, Phoenix Children's Hospital claimed that they had done a “thorough review of the facts related to this matter” and announced that Dr. Wishah was no longer providing care at the hospital. The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and several private law firms are representing Dr. Wishah in a wrongful termination case against the hospital.

UChicago Med School Refuses to Publish Statement

A cohort of medical students at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine circulated a letter in solidarity with Palestinians and in support of BDS after the administration refused to publish it officially—a disparate practice falling out of line with previous statements in support of #BlackLivesMatter and support for LGBTQ rights.

Palestine Legal will continue to monitor, track, and respond to incidents of repression. Contact us if you would like to report on these issues, request legal and advocacy assistance, or document incidents of suppression.

A Dozen Incidents in New York

CAIR-NY reported 12 censorship related incidents in the medical field, including hospital residents, medical students, and a university medical researcher.

A Significant Uptick in Backlash

As people of conscience around the world reacted to Israel’s intensified military and colonial violence against Palestinians this spring, voices rang out from new corners in support of the Palestinian uprising.

In response, Palestine Legal witnessed a significant uptick in the amount and severity of backlash against Palestine advocates by Israel and its allies in the U.S.

Click through to explore the following themes in activism and backlash we witnessed between May and June 2021:

News & Updates

Palestine Legal Publishes Report on Trends in Palestine Advocacy and Backlash in 2021

This week, Palestine Legal published our 2021 Year-in-Review documenting trends in backlash facing the movement for Palestinian rights in the U.S. and the movement’s resilience against them. As people rose up in solidarity with Palestinians, Palestine Legal witnessed an intensification of repression strategies by Israel and its allies in the United States as they attempted to thwart a shift in public opinion in favor of Palestinian rights.

Palestine Protests: Palestine Is Still An Exception—Especially At Universities

Individuals, administrators, and organizations who had put out strong statements of support for Black and Asian lives and against state violence and racism in a domestic context suddenly came under fire for applying a similar logic to Palestinian rights and freedom.

Palestine Protests: Attempts To Get Palestine Advocates Fired

Some complaints about messages of support for Palestinian freedom focused on getting workers or students fired from their jobs or expelled from school. Most of these efforts failed, but still caused harm to those impacted, and have a chilling impact on speech in support of Palestinians.

Palestine Protests: Medical Workers & Students Targeted For Attacks

Doctors, medical students and workers all faced attacks for Palestine advocacy, including pressure not to speak out, the removal of a piece on Palestinian health from a well-known scientific magazine, and a campaign to remove a Palestinian doctor from her post at a hospital.

Palestine Protests: Graduation Ceremonies Censor Palestinian Students

Palestinian students wishing to honor and celebrate their heritage were censored, threatened, or otherwise targeted by their administrations at both high school and college graduation ceremonies.

Palestine Protests: Weaponized Accusations of Antisemitism Distract from Palestinian Rights

Widespread media reports of a rise in antisemitism as protests for Palestinian rights peaked in May relied on often false, misleading, decontextualized, and distorted information. The narratives were largely based on data from the ADL and other Israel advocacy groups, whose methodology has been called out as politically biased.

Palestine Protests: Solidarity Actions Signal a Shift Among Unions, Big Tech, Celebs & More

Recent developments demonstrate that the pro-Israel narrative is losing support in many sectors in society. Around the world, #BlockTheBoat protests have stood in solidarity with Palestinian workers. Labor unions, tech workers, and celebrities have also taken action in support of Palestinian freedom.