Students for Justice in Palestine
Encyclopedia
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is a student organization which was first established at the University of California, Berkeley
in 2001. The student group's mission statement states the following: "SJP is a diverse group of students, faculty, staff and community members at [establishment], organized on democratic principles to promote justice, human rights, liberation and self-determination for the Palestinian
people." Since it was first established at UC Berkeley, different chapters have established themselves throughout the United States
and have continued to grow.
people must ultimately be able to decide their future in Palestine
, certain key principles, grounded in international law
, human rights
, and basic standards of justice
, are fundamental to a just resolution of the plight of the Palestinians. These include the full evacuation of Jewish occupants from areas that the SJP feels are illegally held (e.g. various neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem), the right for the Palestinian people to defend their territories with a stable militia, the end of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank
, including East Jerusalem
; the implementation of the right of return
and repatriation of Palestinian refugees to their previous homes circa 1948, or those of their ancestors, as well as their properties; an end to social injustices in the occupied Palestinian Territories
, as well as the alleged system of discrimination against the Palestinian population within its own borders.
SJP groups typically condemn the what they call apartheid policies and laws of the state of Israel
and also reject and condemn hatred or discrimination against other religious, racial, or ethnic groups. "SJP also categorically opposes any form of prejudice or discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. At the same time, SJP manifestly rejects attempts to equate principled criticism of Zionism
, or of the character or policies of Israel, with anti-Semitism
."
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 2001. The student group's mission statement states the following: "SJP is a diverse group of students, faculty, staff and community members at [establishment], organized on democratic principles to promote justice, human rights, liberation and self-determination for the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
people." Since it was first established at UC Berkeley, different chapters have established themselves throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and have continued to grow.
Principles
Most SJP groups believe that while the PalestinianPalestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
people must ultimately be able to decide their future in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, certain key principles, grounded in international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, and basic standards of justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, are fundamental to a just resolution of the plight of the Palestinians. These include the full evacuation of Jewish occupants from areas that the SJP feels are illegally held (e.g. various neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem), the right for the Palestinian people to defend their territories with a stable militia, the end of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
and the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, including East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
; the implementation of the right of return
Right of return
The term right of return refers to a principle of international law, codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, giving any person the right to return to, and re-enter, his or her country of origin...
and repatriation of Palestinian refugees to their previous homes circa 1948, or those of their ancestors, as well as their properties; an end to social injustices in the occupied Palestinian Territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, as well as the alleged system of discrimination against the Palestinian population within its own borders.
SJP groups typically condemn the what they call apartheid policies and laws of the state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and also reject and condemn hatred or discrimination against other religious, racial, or ethnic groups. "SJP also categorically opposes any form of prejudice or discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. At the same time, SJP manifestly rejects attempts to equate principled criticism of Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
, or of the character or policies of Israel, with anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
."