Students for Justice in Palestine-USC
I. MISSION: Part and parcel of the larger student movement sweeping university campuses across the United States, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, and community members centered at the University of Southern California, and organized in accordance with democratic principles to promote justice, human rights, and self-determination for the Palestinian people.
II. GUIDING PRINCIPLES: As an advocacy group, SJP believes that key principles grounded in international law, human rights, and basic standards of justice, dictate concrete steps that will be fundamental to a fair and lasting resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Most important among those steps are:
• An end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.
• The establishment of either a fully independent and viable Palestinian state in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, or of one secular, democratic state over all of modern-day Israel and Palestine.
• An end to Israel’s system of apartheid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as its system of discrimination against the Arab population within its own borders.
• A just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.
Just as SJP condemns the racism and discrimination underlying many of the policies of the state of Israel, 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.
Furthermore, SJP condemns all acts of unlawful violence, or violence that indiscriminately targets civilians or civilian infrastructure, committed by either side in the course of the conflict.
Ultimately, SJP’s strength flows from the diversity of its membership, comprising individuals of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds and political orientations, all united under these stated principles in the struggle for peace and justice in Palestine.
III. CODE OF CONDUCT: SJP’s activities include educational events, film screenings, discussion forums, and demonstrations meant to promote awareness of the plight of the Palestinian people and encourage activism in solidarity with their struggle. SJP will also initiate a campaign urging the University of Southern California to divest from companies complicit in Israeli violations of human rights or international law. SJP will conduct only nonviolent actions, and rejects actions that violate its guiding principles, to which all individuals or groups acting as members, representatives, or sponsors of SJP are required to adhere. More broadly, SJP will work to link the pro-Palestine movement with other movements seeking political, social, economic, or environmental justice in the Middle East and across the world. To this end, SJP may elect to endorse the programs or activities of other organizations whose principles and objectives are consistent with its own.
Contact: uscsjp@yahoo.com
USC Students for Justice in Palestine 