Faculty for Justice in Palestine-UCLA

 Core Principles Agreement

Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP)-UCLA is a group of faculty members at the University of California, Los Angeles who stand in unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for freedom.

1. WE BELIEVE IN JUSTICE AND FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE: We are forming in the heart of the 2023 Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip which has resulted in catastrophic loss of life, destruction of critical infrastructure, unparalleled forced displacement, and unimaginable carnage. We understand that the current genocide is rooted in nearly a century of settler colonial violence waged upon Palestinian life and land and that so long as freedom is deferred, violence, death, and exodus will only continue. To realize a just and durable solution in and for Palestine and across the region, we believe that the following must be secured:

  • End of the Israeli military occupation and states of siege in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and occupied Jerusalem
  • Dismantlement of the system of apartheid that prevails across all of historic Palestine
  • Implementation of the refugee right of return of Palestinians expelled from their homes in and since 1948 and their descendents
  • Divestment from companies that profit from weapons manufacturing, surveillance software, and other technologies of war and violence
  • The release of Palestinian political prisoners and the end to torture taking place in Israeli prisons

2. WE TAKE SERIOUSLY OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS SCHOLARS AND TEACHERS:

As scholars of conscience, we believe in the importance of critical pedagogy and knowledge production guided by fidelity to truth, intellectual and methodological rigor, and a commitment to centering the experiences and narratives of all communities who bear the impacts of oppression. Publicly engaged intellectuals and teachers have long played a pivotal role in all freedom struggles across institutions of higher learning and within movements for justice throughout the world. Building upon this tradition, we take seriously the urgent necessity to create spaces for free intellectual exchange that are relevant for liberatory structural change. As such, we commit to continue:

  • Teaching about Palestine in our classrooms, departments, community centers, and across all spaces in campus-life
  • Writing about Palestine and the responsibility universities and the academy hold toward challenging misinformation campaigns and racist propaganda
  • Advocating for the incorporation and institutionalization of Palestinian studies at UCLA which includes the recruitment and retention of Palestine/Palestinian studies scholars
  • Advocating for the right to education in Palestine by working with Palestinian educators and institutions to protect the rights of scholars to teach and students to learn freely and safely
  • Responding to Palestinian civil societies’ call to boycott participation and institutional collaboration with Israeli academic institutions until Israel complies with international law, in accordance with the call from the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

3. WE STAND FOR A TRULY INCLUSIVE CAMPUS AND THE PROTECTION OF FREE SPEECH AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM: We understand free intellectual exchange is impossible so long as Palestinians and their co-strugglers on our campus are rendered unworthy of protection by the campus administration and continue to endure attacks for speaking out for justice in Palestine. We know that a safe and healthy campus climate is impossible so long as academic freedom and freedom of speech are compromised. As such we stand for and call on UCLA campus leadership to demonstrate courage and integrity in the following areas:

  • Stop issuing one sided statements that disregard the humanity and worth of our Palestinian campus community and those that engage in struggle alongside them
  • Issue a public condemnation of the genocide in Palestine waged by Israeli forces, call for an immediate ceasefire, and offer condolences to the campus community mourning their loved ones in the Gaza Strip
  • Issue strong condemnations of anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim racist violence, harrassment, doxxing, stalking, and threats made to the safety of our campus community members
  • Publicly reject efforts to characterize opposition to Zionism or criticism of the Israeli state as antisemitic, including via the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, for purposes such as UCLA’s understanding of True Bruin Values, EDI principles, and nondiscrimination policies
  • Publicly reject pressure from external organizations to investigate, criminalize, and suppress Students for Justice in Palestine and all members of the campus community expressing solidarity with Palestinians
  • Protect the rights of students, faculty, and staff to free speech, academic freedom, and first amendment rights including freedom of assembly
  • Offer resources, services, and accommodations to students, faculty, and staff affected by the genocide in Palestine and the mounting repression campaigns
  • Adequately investigate and respond to reports submitted by the campus community  pertaining to anti-Palestinian violence, harassment, repression, and doxxing

If the following principles above align with yours, we welcome and invite you to join the Faculty for Justice in Palestine at UCLA.