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April 13, 2010
I would like to express my support and appreciation for the principled
statement of the ASUC Senate calling for divestment from US corporations
providing military technology for Israel to use in the occupied
territories and in its past and possibly future invasions of Lebanon.
Amnesty International has gone further, calling for a full arms embargo
during Israel's murderous attack on Gaza in January 2009, with pretexts
that do not withstand a moment's scrutiny, one of the most egregious of
recent US-backed Israeli crimes.
There can be no question about the right, in fact responsibility, of
students to express their concerns about official actions of their
university, and to call on university authorities to refrain from
improper actions -- in this case, indirect participation in ongoing
crimes. The statement appropriately focuses on our own
responsibilities: on our own actions -- or inaction -- and their
consequences. That much is hardly more than moral truism. In the
present case, the decision goes beyond moral truism: the US plays a
decisive role in implementing illegal Israeli takeover of occupied
territories, harsh repression, violence and aggression. It is our
responsibility to do what we can to act ourselves, and to mobilize
others, to change the US government policies that foster serious crimes
and bar the path to peaceful diplomatic settlement. Terminating support
for US corporations that participate in US-backed Israeli crimes is a
significant step towards this end, both in its policy and educational
implications.
Noam Chomsky
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