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Conflict Timeline 1917
seizes 1917 Britain Palestine from
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Ottomans
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Nations 1947 United recommends
Image Source: UVM Twitter
1939 of tweets by condemning the tweet by Students for Justice in Palestine at UVM as anti-Semetic. UVM responded to a barrage
ney donated by the sk Force will fund a trip Palestine called UVM
is advertised as an to explore both sides t and allow students to wn opinion about Israel, he trip’s application. roups have announced on to this decision in an osted on their Facebook by Students for Justice
openly targets student embers of student students of color involved in religious h life in an attempt to pus politics and combat movements in solidarity e,” the letter stated. ps that signed the letter o the trip because of its Israel and its funding roups refuse to go on a s illegally occupied land, he letter. , UVM Hillel accepted om MTF to take 20 the same trip, despite ilar criticism about the s ties to Zionist groups g political groups. pro-Israel organization st the Boycott, Divest, ovement for Justice in ording to their website. der of MTF, Sheldon s one of the largest donors in the 2016 ntributing over $30 ro-Trump super PACs, the Federal Election
also donated money to rowitz Freedom Center, was found responsible ng posters that labeled s as, “terrorist allies,” a 2016 LA Times article.
SPECTIVES:
el, the director of UVM
1940
Hillel, said his job is to find sources of money 1947 to create ways for more student impact 1948-1949 and programming, 1948-1977 and that includes 1948-1954accepting the 1949-1960’s money from MTF. 1955-1963 1956-1957 “My goal as a nonprofit director 1957 is to accept investment from a philanthropist and the people who 1961 have the means 1962 to give support to a cause 1966 they believe in, and channel 1967 impact,” he said. that into a positive The application to the trip includes information 1972 about the funding source and a link to 1973 the Maccabee Task Force’s1974 website. 1975 a UVM Skye Lockwood, 1976 graduate student1977 who went on the Perspectives trip last year, said it’s 1981 important 1982 to look past 1984 the funding 1985 because1986 of the work put 1987 1988 in by Hillel to create an 1990 1991trip unbiased 1992 for students. “It concerns me when people focus solely on the source funding and then they stop there and don’t go further,” Lockwood said. “I was skeptical and waiting for something to be obnoxiously pro-Israel, but it wasn’t there.” Fourteen clubs signed the open letter, including UVM Outing Club, Planned Parenthood Generation Action at UVM, UVM Progressives and the socialist group Bread and Roses Collective. Senior Alexander Smith, a leader of Bread and Roses Collective, said it’s false to advertise the trip as being unbiased because it is funded and led by pro-Israel groups. “A critical question you have to ask yourself is this, why would someone who supports Israel fund this trip, if they spend the rest of their time harassing Palestinian activists and providing outright support for the Israeli government’s actions?” Smith said. The trip was planned by UVM Hillel, a group that is, “inspired to make an enduring commitment to
Jewish life, learning and Israel,” about having difficulty finding other people to talk to us about it, so there according to their website. UVM Hillel had 1948 complete was a slight bias in that sense, but I autonomy in organizing the tripIndependence and don’t think that was intentional.” The group spent two of the creating its itinerary, Vogel stated in eight days of the trip in Palestinian a Nov. 21 email. territories. 1956 Despite UVM Hillel’s pro-Israel Suez Crisis Daniel Rubenstein, the group’s stance, leaders of the trip, including Vogel and Hillel’s Israel Engagement tour guide on the trip, was a former Coordinator Sarah Granof, said the member of the Israel Defense Forces, trip did not try to influence student the Israeli military. He was also 1967 Six Day War previously a spokesperson for the opinions. “We at Hillel believe that Israel IDF, according to his website. Some students have raised has a right to exist,” Granof said. “You can walk in and out of this trip not concerns about American students 1977 fine. touring believing that and that is totally Accord Palestine territories and Camp David We present opportunities to engage Israel when people that live in the Lebanon Invasion of area are not able to return to the place with Palestine, Israel and1982 different they consider 1987 home because of Uprising the conflict. “We think 1993 Oslo Declaration it’s wrong that random American 2000 Pullout from Lebanon students who - Anastasia Light don’t have ties Junior who went on the trip last May 2005 Withdrawl from Gaza to Israel or 2008 Gaza Invasion Palestine should be allowed to enter when there are so minorities across the region.” Some students that went on the many people living in refugee camps Governmen have no rightt to return,” Smith trip last year said they felt2015 theNetanyahu’s trip and4th 2017 while said. lived up to these standards, Trump Thaw Senior Amanda Duffy who went others did not. Senior Z McCarron, who went on the trip last year acknowledged on the trip last May, said they were that her ability to travel freely in originally a large opponent of the trip Israel and Palestine territories was because of its funding source. After privileged. “There wasn’t a day on that trip eventually deciding to apply and go, they said the leaders of the trip did that I didn’t acknowledge that I was a good job of incorporating many learning about this from a coach bus perspectives and not trying to push driving around this area,” Duffy said. Light said certain parts of the trip any view on students. “The trip was supposed to be a trip were disrespectful to the people that that gave students the opportunity lived there. “There was one part of the trip to gain their own perspective on the conflict, and I think they were in Palestine, and we went down successful in that and did that really this street that I just thought was incredibly disrespectful to bring a well,” McCarron said. Junior Anastasia Light, who went group of students down,” Light said. “People were clearly looking at us on the trip last May, said the trip had some bias towards Israel and like, ‘why are you here,’ and in that that it lacked a strong student pro- moment I was like ‘this is messed up,’” she said. Palestinian voice. “I definitely heard more Israeli perspectives than not on the trip,” Light said. “I think a lot of that was
“People were clearly looking at us like, ‘why are you here,’ and in that moment I was like ‘this is messed up.”
partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states
1948-1949
First Arab-Israeli War; armistice agreements leave Israel with more territory than expected under Partition Plan; 750,000 Palestinian Arabs flee or are expelled
1967 (JUNE)
A six-day war leaves Israel in charge of East Jerusalem, all of West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights and Sinai
1972 Palestinian “Black
September” gunmen take the Israeli team hostage at Munich Olympics
1975 U.N. General
Assembly adopts resolution describing Zionism as a form of racism. The resolution is later rescinded in 1991.
1994 (MAY-JULY)
Israel withdraws from most of Gaza and the West Bank of Jericho
2002 (MARCH-MAY)
Iraeli army launches Operation Defensive Shield on West Bank
2002 (JUNE)
Israel begins building barrier in and around the West Bank
2015 Macabee Task
Force is founded
2016 (SEPTEMBER)
U.S. agrees to military aid package worth $38 billion over 10 years for Israel
2017 (DECEMBER)
President Donald Trump recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel
2018 Macabee Task
Force offers to fund UVM Hillel for Perspectives Trip
2019 Twenty UVM
students embark on first Perspectives Trip
illustrations by KATE VANNI