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Students at several campuses are stepping up campaigns aimed at changing Israel’s behavior toward Palestinians.  Borrowing the tactics of boycott and divestment from the student-led anti-apartheid campaigns, students at UC Berkeley, UC San Diego and the University of New Mexico are working to get their campuses to divest from companies making a profit in Israel. 

While none of the campaigns has led to divestment yet, student organizers at UNM say raising awareness and creating dialogue is just as important.  Nada Noor, coordinator of the Coalition for Peace and Justice in the Middle East at UNM, told the Daily Lobo that “it sheds light on the direct relationship we have with the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the effects their conditions (have) on ours.”

Other students, however, think their campaign is at best more harmful to Palestinians than helpful and at worst racist.  Several members of the Israel Alliance noted that because the Palestinian economy is dependent on the Israeli economy, the boycott and divestment campaign could hurt Palestinians.  Meanwhile, the president of the Alliance argued that the campaign was racist because it was attacking Israel when other countries had even worse human rights violations and are not targeted by the campaign.

More from the Daily Lobo at the University of New Mexico