In bringing Jonathan Greenblatt to speak at Brown, the University鈥檚 Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity tells 鈥渁nyone who might be upset鈥� to understand that the OIED is 鈥渂ringing in a viewpoint and bringing understanding and awareness.鈥�
Israel鈥檚 bombardment and invasion of Gaza has some 12,000 Palestinian children, in addition to, and. Countless human rights organizations have Israel of committing war crimes, and South Africa has Israel of committing genocide. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have Israel as an apartheid state.
Many Brown community members have themselves described facing racist violence from the Israeli state. The Anti-Defamation League, of which Greenblatt is the director, has falsely accused these same students of 鈥渕aterially supporting a foreign terrorist organization.鈥� Greenblatt and the ADL have advocated for into student groups speaking against Israeli apartheid, and publicly the suspension of Columbia鈥檚 Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. Greenblatt's organization has also Black movements against racist policing and police surveillance of Muslim communities.
While Brown鈥檚 diversity office urges students to consider Jonathan Greenblatt鈥檚 genocidal, racist 鈥渧iewpoint,鈥� he is silencing students who protest against it.
Joel Reinstein can be reached at joelszoomemail@gmail.com. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
