The United Nations General Assembly’s recent vote to recognize Palestinian statehood marked what should have been a historic moment for those claiming to champion the Palestinian cause. Yet, the student chapters of “Students for Justice in Palestine” (SJP) barely noticed. No rallies, no statements, no reflection. The silence was deafening—and deliberate.
It’s not that these campus activists missed the news. It’s that the resolution didn’t fit their narrative. The vote represented progress through diplomacy and coexistence, values they reject. Instead of celebrating a step toward Palestinian self-determination, they returned to their usual script—accusing Israel of “genocide,” “apartheid,” and “ethnic cleansing”—while parroting Hamas talking points.
Even as reports emerge of Hamas executing innocent Gazans accused of “collaboration,” these activists say nothing. Their compassion for Palestinians seems conditional—it only exists when it can be weaponized against Israel.
SJP’s hypocrisy is nothing new. They routinely accuse Israel of violating international law while ignoring Hamas’s own grave breaches, including its massacre of civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, and its systematic use of human shields. In fact, numerous independent legal analyses have found Israel’s military conduct largely consistent with international humanitarian law—often exceeding its obligations to protect civilians.
SJP’s double standards expose their true agenda. They demand a ceasefire but ignore that Hamas has violated every previous one. They claim to oppose ethnic cleansing while chanting for a Palestine “from the river to the sea”—a slogan calling for Israel’s destruction. They accuse Israel of starving Gazans while remaining silent about Hamas leaders hoarding aid and starving hostages.
This behavior echoes a century-long pattern in the Palestinian national movement itself: rejectionism over reconciliation. From the 1936 Peel Commission and the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan to the Oslo Accords and beyond, Palestinian leaders have repeatedly chosen confrontation over compromise. Each time Israel sought peace, violence followed.
SJP’s rhetoric mirrors that same destructive instinct. Their activism isn’t about building a Palestinian state—it’s about denying Israel’s right to exist. Every slogan, every protest chant, and every silenced debate reinforces a culture of hate, not hope.
The recent wave of Hamas brutality in Gaza should have been a turning point. Since the October 2025 ceasefire, Hamas has reimposed its terror regime—executing dissidents, torturing civilians, and crushing any semblance of freedom. Yet the so-called human rights advocates of SJP remain silent. Their refusal to condemn Hamas’s atrocities proves they are not allies of the Palestinian people—they are apologists for their oppressors.
Universities deserve better than this hypocrisy. Campuses should be places of intellectual honesty, where moral courage is rewarded and complex issues debated. Instead, they’ve become echo chambers of intimidation and disinformation, as SJP rallies seek to silence dissent and distort reality.
If SJP and its allies truly cared about Palestinians, they would seize moments like the U.N. vote to promote peace, statehood, and coexistence. Instead, they bury hope under hatred, teaching students to chant slogans rather than seek truth.
Silence, in this case, speaks volumes.
This article was originally published in the JewishNewsSyndicate.
