I see from your April 2024 issue that Princeton students have lobbied the University to disinvest in Israeli companies. Personally, I deplore the current Israeli government and vocally criticize many, but not all, of its actions in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of Israelis and the kidnapping of Israeli citizens, many of whom are still being held captive.
But when it comes to disinvestment, I ask these questions. Did students organize a petition for disinvestment from Russia when Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, killing tens of thousands of Ukrainians? No, they did not. Did students organize a petition for disinvestment from China when the Chinese, without provocation, killed, imprisoned, and sought to (and continually seek to) culturally eliminate non-Han Chinese, including Uyghurs and Tibetans? No, they did not. Did students organize a petition for disinvestment from Saudi Arabia for the role it has played in Yemen’s civil war, which has killed 150,000 Yemenis? No, they did not.
Why, then, are students lobbying for disinvestment from Israel rather than Russia, China, or Saudi Arabia? Is it because Israel was attacked by Hamas before it attacked Gaza? I don’t think so. Is it because Israel is a democracy and those other countries are autocracies. Again, I don’t think so. Sadly, the reason is obvious: Israel is a Jewish state and those other countries are not. This disinvestment campaign is a perfect example of why disproportionate criticism of Israel, even, as now when Israel deserves criticism, is really a form of thinly disguised antisemitism. And Princeton students should be ashamed for conducting this disinvestment campaign.