The advocacy group Palestine Legal has released their 2022 report on Palestinian activism, backlash against it, and resilience in the face of crackdowns.
Palestine Legal reports that in 2022 it responded to 214 incidents of suppression of Palestinian advocacy in the US. Of these, 70 percent of incidents took place at 80 educational institutions. They also responded to 48 legal questions from activists concerned about their rights. In addition, the group provided an overview of some of the key the stories behind these numbers.
"By sharing these stories together and seeing the backlash people face, we're building a support system and speaking out for one another," Zoha Khalili, a staff attorney with Palestine Legal and an author of the report, told The New Arab.
These stories included Palestinian poet Mohammad El-Kurd, who faced attempts at derailing his book tour at US college campuses; professors facing backlash over lectures; and students being punished for allegedly posting pro-Palestinian fliers. In each of these cases, the activists were accused of antisemitism.
Last year saw a slew of anti-Palestinian legislation, with at least 11 anti-BDS bills introduced at the state level, as well as at least eight bills introduced in state legislatures to adopt the definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which has been widely interpreted as equating criticism of Israel as antisemitism. Implementation of the IHRA antisemitism definition appears to be accelerating in 2023.
The widespread crackdowns on Palestinian activism in the US comes at a time of major debates throughout the country over how to teach history, particularly slavery, in school. Book bans at schools and libraries in Florida and Texas, mainly relating to race and gender, have become commonplace. Khalili says she has seen suppression of Palestinian activism used as a template to crack down on other movements, which she believes is all the more reason to speak out.
"It can be a little depressing, with the obstacles people have faced," Khalili said. "But what's important is to recognise that people continue to speak out about Palestine, and they know the importance of doing so. Seeing this level of backlash, it's kind of inspiring."