While 17 student senators were absent either observing Passover or Easter, the Pitzer College student senate passed an anti-Semitic resolution preventing the Student Activities Fund from purchasing Israeli products. This resolution was passed with 22 yes votes, 4 abstentions, and zero votes in opposition. Article III of the Pitzer College Budgetary Committe By-laws were amended to include the following clause:
Student Activities Funds shall not be used to make a payment on goods or services from any corporation or organization associated with the unethical occupation of Palestinian territories. Products include those products from corporations and organizations as delineated in the boycott list maintained by bdsmovement.net/get-involved/what-toboycott
According to The Claremont Independent, Pitzer’s senate moved forward with this resolution a week after Claremont Students for Justice in Palestine Jewish Persecution hosted its annual “Israeli Apartheid Week” and when there would be considerably less opposition to the blatantly anti-Semitic language specifically calling out Israel for supposed human rights violations. The resolution did not address countries like Lebanon and Jordan, which impose devastating apartheid laws on Palestinian-Arab refugees in their respective countries.
The Algemeiner also reported that the amended language would prevent students from spending money on products from Sabra Humus, Ahava Dead Sea products, SodaStream, Caterpillar and Hewlett Packard (HP). One student senator, who was asked to remain anonymous, said that the majority of the students who were absent for the meeting were attending religious services in honor of Passover and Easter.
Josue Pasilla, the President of Pitzer’s Student Senate and who attended AIPAC’s Policy Conference last month, defended the vote, saying that the senate “firmly supports dialogue and that the amendment was introduced and passed following the senate procedures in place.”