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University of St. Thomas student government passes pro-Israel resolution

“Antisemitism includes the delegitimization of Israel through denying Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying Israel the right to exist,” states the resolution.

University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn. Credit: Runner1928/Wikimedia Commons.
University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn. Credit: Runner1928/Wikimedia Commons.

The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota passed a pro-Israel bill in its student government on Monday.

“Antisemitism includes the delegitimization of Israel through denying Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying Israel the right to exist,” states the resolution.

It also says that “The University of Saint Thomas Undergraduate Government will recognize that the Jewish people, like all peoples, have a collective right to self-determination.”

The bill was introduced by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee in the undergraduate student government, which has 12 members, and adopted by the student government as a whole.

The president of the school’s Students Supporting Israel chapter celebrated the outcome.

“It shows the university truly cares about the Jewish people’s rights to self-determination and expression of their faith. The success of this initiative is important for a lot of reasons,” said Simon Savvateev. “Primarily, it promotes the University of Saint Thomas as an institution that accepts people of the Jewish faith with open arms and will always strive to protect our rights.”

There are just 20 Jewish undergraduate students, out of 6,199 overall, at the University of St. Thomas, a private Roman Catholic school.

“I think they allowed it to go on too long—the protests, everything,” Jonathan (“Jay”) Sures, one of 26 regents of the public school system, told JNS.
“It’s not about improving Israel’s image. It’s not about fighting back the media war,” Talia Dekel-Fleissig told JNS. “It’s about making sure that the public understands what’s actually going on.”
The film was also nixed by both of Australia’s national public broadcasters.
“It’s not a decisive shift to a new phase of the war,” Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told JNS. “Rather it is a reminder that the U.S. has the will to police the Strait of Hormuz.”