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Saying the state is not valid, means it should be destroyed

David Singer UC Berkeley student
Tuesday October 02, 2001

Editor: 

Ms. Leung “challenge(s) Mr. Breiman to produce evidence of an SJP member ever advocating the destruction of the state of Israel,” something that I can do quite easily. 

Will Youmans, a vocal member of SJP, routinely questions the very validity of the state of Israel saying that the “first sin” of the Arab-Israel conflict was Jews moving to the British Mandate Palestine at the beginning of the last century. If the state is not valid, it should be destroyed. Fortunately it is very valid. 

Often SJP rallies contain posters or chants calling Zionism “racism.” If the Jewish nationalistic movement is racist then it is illegitimate, thus Israel would be illegitimate and should be destroyed. Fortunately, Zionism is no more racist than any other nationalistic movement, including Palestinian nationalism. 

The SJP Mission Statement calls for “the right of return and repatriation for all Palestinian refugees to their original homes and properties.” If all of the Palestinian refugees and their 2.5 million children and grandchildren move to Israel, that would be demographic suicide for the Jewish state; thus the “destruction of Israel.” Fortunately, Israel says it will not budge on that topic, but has instead offered reparations if they come alongside reparations to the 700,000 Jewish refugees forced to flee their homes in Arab states after the creation of Israel in 1948. 

Students for Justice in Palestine and its members do call for the destruction of the state of Israel, only in less than blunt words. Fortunately, not everyone believes your blanket statement that SJP does not advocate the destruction of the state of Israel. And fortunately Israel will never cease to exist. 

David Singer 

UC Berkeley student