The school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine says the ‘platforming of an IDF combatant’ makes members feel ‘psychologically unsafe and unwelcome in our own school’
Anti-Israel protesters at Yale University (@NYSSofficial, X/Twitter)
Yale Law School’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, the group that celebrated the murder of 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 and praised the architects of the attack as “martyrs,” is calling on the school to cancel an event with a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, arguing that his presence on campus will make students unsafe.
“We implore the administration to take seriously the implications of this militarization of campus,” Yale Law Students for Justice in Palestine wrote in a Feb. 1 Instagram post. “The platforming of an IDF combatant recently returned from Israel’s atrocities in Gaza makes many of us—especially Palestinian Arab, Muslim, Black, and brown students—feel physically and psychologically unsafe and unwelcome in our own school.”
The demand to cancel the event, which is scheduled for Monday evening, comes weeks after the same group called on Yale to “protect free speech.” It’s part of a larger campaign to vilify the Jewish state and keep IDF soldiers off the law school’s campus, where some students responded to the Oct. 7 attacks by defending Hamas and mocking Jewish students who condemned the violence.
In anticipation of Monday’s event, which was organized by Law Students for Israel, activists plastered the law school with signs saying “NO IDF ON CAMPUS.” A few signs contain additional slogans, from “ANTIZIONISM ≠ ANTISEMITISM” to ”WAR CRIMINALS AREN’T WELCOME,” that reflect the rhetoric of the national Students for Justice in Palestine organization, which has been behind some of the most disruptive protests on university campuses since the Israel-Hamas war began.
Rutgers suspended its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine after the group allegedly vandalized school property. Columbia did the same after its chapter held an unauthorized protest that involved “threatening rhetoric and intimidation,” per a statement from university officials.
Several branches, including the national organization, have also glorified the paraglider—used by Hamas to invade Israel by air and massacre partygoers at the Re’im music festival—as a symbol of Palestinian “resistance.” Others say they reject the distinction between “civilian” and “militant” and support resistance “by any means necessary.”
The chapter at Yale Law School appears to deny that Hamas is a terror group. Characterizing the war in Gaza as a fight against “terrorist organizations,” it wrote on Instagram, “is not only factually incorrect but relies on dangerous Islamophobic and racist tropes.”
Though Yale Law Students for Justice in Palestine does not publicly disclose the names of its members, Rosalyn Leban, a third-year law student, has sent emails to an all-student listserv advertising the group’s programming—including a lunch event about the “Israeli army’s genocide in Gaza.”
“Please wear your mask when you are not eating,” the event description read.
Leban, who did not respond to a request for comment, is “interested in exploring the impacts of capitalism and environmental racism on immigrant communities, indigenous communities, and communities of color,” according to her bio on the law school’s website. She has written about the ”impenetrable digital border” facing migrants to the United States and, according to her LinkedIn, directs the “Mental Health Justice Clinic” at Yale Law School.
Yale Law Students for Justice in Palestine did not respond to a request for comment.
The controversy comes after the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ top legal body, ruled that Israel’s actions in Gaza could amount to genocide and allowed South Africa, which sued Israel in December, to proceed with its case against the Jewish state. Yale Law Students for Justice in Palestine cited that verdict to argue that IDF troops should be barred from campus.
“We consider the law school allowing an event with an IDF combatant, particularly in the aftermath of the ICJ ruling, and with no oversight of the contents of his speech, to be an inconsistent application of the law school’s norms of free expression with actually dangerous implications for campus safety,” the group wrote.
Law Students for Justice in Palestine also accused Yale Law School of having a “pro-Israel ideological bias.” Last year, the law school’s Schell Center for Human Rights resisted hosting an event on the Oct. 7 massacre, telling a Jewish student that the situation was “complex.”
How have pro-Palestinian groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, created a hostile environment for Jewish students on college campuses?
Id not respond to multiple requests for comment, is a member of the National and International Social Justice project at Yale, which also has a chapter at the University of Pennsylvania. The project includes chapters at law schools around the country, including Harvard, Columbia, and NYU.
This incident is not an isolated one. It is part of a disturbing trend on college campuses where pro-Palestinian groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, are creating an environment that is hostile to Jewish students and supportive of terrorist organizations like Hamas. These groups use tactics of intimidation, disruption, and propaganda to further their cause, often at the expense of the safety and well-being of other students.
By calling for the cancellation of the event with an IDF combatant, the Yale Law School chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine is once again attempting to silence voices that do not align with their own agenda. They claim that the presence of this soldier on campus will make students feel unsafe and unwelcome. However, what they fail to acknowledge is that their own actions and rhetoric are what truly make students feel unsafe and unwelcome.
Members of Students for Justice in Palestine openly celebrated the murder of Israelis and praised the attackers as “martyrs.” They have called for the protection of free speech while simultaneously attempting to suppress the voices of those who disagree with them. They have vandalized school property and engaged in threatening rhetoric and intimidation. And they have glorified acts of violence and terrorism as acts of resistance.
It is clear that the Yale Law School chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine is not interested in promoting justice or peaceful dialogue. Their actions and rhetoric only serve to perpetuate a cycle of violence and hatred. It is time for the university to take a stand and enforce policies that ensure the safety and well-being of all students, regardless of their religious or political beliefs.
We must reject the false narrative that is being spread by groups like Students for Justice in Palestine. We must recognize that supporting the Israeli Defense Forces does not make someone a war criminal, just as supporting the Palestinian cause does not make someone a terrorist. We must foster an environment of respect, understanding, and open dialogue, where all perspectives can be heard and respected.
Furthermore, we must hold these pro-Palestinian groups accountable for their actions. Vandalizing school property, engaging in threatening rhetoric, and disrupting campus events are not acceptable forms of protest. These actions only serve to create a hostile and unsafe environment for all students.
The university administration must take swift and decisive action to address this issue. They must condemn the actions and rhetoric of Students for Justice in Palestine and ensure that all students feel safe and welcome on campus. They must enforce policies that protect free speech while also preventing the spread of hate and intolerance.
In conclusion, the demand to cancel the event with an IDF combatant at Yale Law School is just the latest example of the dangerous and hostile environment that pro-Palestinian groups are creating on college campuses. It is time for us to stand up against this rhetoric and ensure that all students feel safe and welcome. We must promote a culture of respect, understanding, and open dialogue, where all perspectives can be heard and respected. Only then can we truly strive for justice and peace.
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