Summary
An Israel advocacy organisation that boasts, in its own words as quoted in The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: A Movement Under Attack in the US, of a “sizeable team … dedicated to supporting students’ efforts to promote and defend Israel amid the virulent anti-Israel movement on college campuses”, reportedly works closely with the Israeli government and keeps dossiers on pro-Palestinian speakers (PDF p.14-15).
Details
- With the Israeli government’s support, StandWithUs backed the 2011 suit by five Olympia Food Co-op members against sixteen board members over the board’s boycott of Israeli goods; before the suit, Israeli consul general Akiva Tor met StandWithUs co-chairs Rob Jacobs and Carolyn Hathaway in Olympia, and Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said “we are using this organization, StandWithUs, to amplify our power” (PDF p.35).
- StandWithUs told the UC Santa Barbara student newspaper it considered the 2009 misconduct complaint against Professor William Robinson a test case for similar actions against Israel policy critics at other universities (PDF p.34).
Related pages
The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: A Movement Under Attack in the US, BDS movement