Duke will allow student group Hiwar to host the Palestine Solidarity Conference at the University Oct. 15-17, despite allegations that the conference condones terrorism.
Amid a firestorm of criticism, the University will allow the student group Hiwar to host a national pro-Palestinian conference on campus. The Oct. 15-17 event is the annual conference of the Palestine Solidarity Movement, which several groups have alleged is an organization that condones terrorism.
Duke’s decision has drawn vocal objections from many people, including some within the University. But Duke has cited its long-standing commitment to academic freedom of expression and opened its doors to the conference.
Student organizers say PSM is purely concerned with developing methods to solve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and does not endorse a particular solution to specific problems in the area.
“We advocate a peaceful solution to the conflict,” said Rann Bar-on, the conference’s local organizer and a graduate student in mathematics. He noted that the group focuses on “divestment from support of Israeli military” operations.
Approximately 500 people are expected to attend the conference. But previous conferences have been targeted by thousands of protesters—a factor that Duke took into account when accepting the conference. Before approving the event, the University confirmed its ability to ensure safety for the participants and the rest of the campus.
Now that the controversial event will arrive this fall, Duke will look at ways to capitalize on the attention the Palestine Solidarity Conference will spark about the Middle East conflict. “At the end of the day, at the end of the year, we hope we’re going to have a much better informed public of the University,” said John Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations.
Students, in conjunction with PSM, are organizing the entire conference, and the University will not decide or approve the speakers and panels. Local organizers said the slate of speakers and events will be available in the next few days.
During the next few months of planning, local student organizers will meet weekly with officials at the Office of Student Activities. Gregg Heinselman, director of OSA, said Hiwar was following all University procedures for event registration closely in order to accommodate the “unique challenges” of security.
Security for the weekend will likely cost about $40,000 to $50,000, with much of the efforts devoted to controlling the anticipated demonstrations. Although no formal agreement has been reached, University officials said Duke would likely cover the expenses. The conference itself will only cost about $7,000, which will come from PSM and individual donors—not from the University.
Hiwar, which received $2,250 from the Student Organization Financial Committee last academic year, will likely help with the cost of the event, but organizers said funding sources are confidential.
In previous years the conference has been held at the University of Michigan and Ohio State University. Last year, Rutgers University was supposed to host the event, but student organizers failed to meet major requirements for registering the conference so Rutgers withdrew its support. Sandra Lanman, a spokesperson for Rutgers, said the school’s decision not to allow the event was entirely logistical—and in no way ideological.
Duke officials said they also contacted administrators at the other host schools who reassured them that PSM would conduct the conference responsibly. Bar-on said all attendees of the conference will sign a code of conduct for the weekend.
As of Thursday night an online petition calling for Duke to shun the conference listed 10,766 signatures. The petition, which was started by Massachusetts resident Diana Appelbaum, accuses PSM of supporting known terrorist groups.
“If someone wants to say that, it is definitely their right to say so, but I do not believe that someone who says such a thing ought to have the privilege of meeting at Duke,” said Appelbaum, a member of Boston Israel Action Community.
Opponents of the conference note that PSM is under the umbrella of the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian organization whose officials have endorsed terrorist-type violence against Israelis on multiple occasions. PSM, however, is an American organization mostly comprised of students. Local and national police have assured University officials that no connections have been found between terrorist organizations and PSM.
President Richard Brodhead also plans to meet and speak with local Jewish groups to explain Duke’s position on the issue during the first few weeks of September.
The Freeman Center for Jewish Life issued a statement saying PSM is a “repeated source of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli sentiment,” however the campus Jewish organization supports Duke’s decision to host the conference. The Freeman Center plans to join with the Hillel student board and Duke Friends of Israel to hold multiple forums and events on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Organizers of the Palestinian Solidarity Conference said they would also like to incorporate multiple perspectives into their panels, and they would welcome participation from any Jewish group on campus.
“We believe that it is vital that there is open and honest dialogue and discussion,” said Ari Dubin, director of the Freeman Center. “It’s exciting to hear that they are looking for dialogue.”
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