Hummus matters

We decided to target Sabra because of its association with human rights violations. The Strauss Group, which owns 50 percent of Sabra Dipping Company, has in the past publicly “adopted” the Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces and provides its members with financial support. Wednesday’s editorial by The Daily Princetonian said that these concerns are “overblown” because this support “has no tangible effect on the unit’s actions” and because there is no “direct link” between Sabra and the actions of the Golani Brigade. The editorial board has a right to express its opinion on when a product is sufficiently involved in human rights abuses to merit asking for alternatives. Nonetheless, these arbitrary prerequisites miss the point. Indeed, although the money we pay for a package of Sabra hummus could be going directly into the pockets of members of an illegal occupation force known for its brutality against innocent Palestinians, that is not even the main issue.

What matters here is that The Strauss Group has decided to publicly and explicitly declare its support for a military platoon that is involved in the occupation of the West Bank and has been accused of human rights abuses against Palestinians. The fact that this support is moral, political and economic instead of military does not make it any less direct, any less tangible or any less significant. By choosing the Golani Brigade as an affiliate in its corporate responsibility section, next to legitimate charities, The Strauss Group is effectively responsible for legitimizing and whitewashing the appalling crimes for which the brigade is responsible. The decision to choose Golani, of all possible institutions, should be offensive not only to those Princetonians of Palestinian descent, who have seen their people humiliated, injured and killed, but to anyone who is genuinely committed to defending basic human rights.

Hence it is easy to understand why some would refuse to give their money to Sabra on moral grounds. But it goes beyond that. Indeed, although the referendum itself is neutral and merely calls for freedom of choice, our decision to start a broader campaign focusing on this product is also an attempt to send an important message. The message is straightforward: We support Israel’s right to exist, we support the right of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security in their own country, and we call on Israel to end its illegal and immoral occupation of Palestinian territories.

Those who claim to support this message but oppose our initiative because it “delegitimizes” Israel are terribly mistaken. Not only are we targeting Israel’s specific policies instead of the country itself; we are actually calling on Israel to stop delegitimizing itself. The reason why we are singling out Israel is precisely because we care about its future. We believe that only through international pressure will Israelis be able to make the difficult decisions that will ensure Israel’s long-term existence. It is through this kind of effort that South Africans were able to end apartheid, and there is little reason to believe that it would not work just as well in this case.

Those who strongly oppose this initiative are not helping Israel or fighting its delegitimization; in fact, they are doing just the opposite.

Yet even if one were to accept the argument that the initiative is trivial or that the human rights connection is not direct enough to deserve objection, there is still no good reason to vote against the hummus referendum. In fact, all that voting yes requires is recognition that there are Princeton students who do find Sabra hummus objectionable and who would really appreciate being able to buy hummus in Frist Campus Center, Studio 34 and Chancellor Green Cafe without going against their principles. Furthermore, there is little evidence that offering an alternative product would constitute a net cost for Dining Services. The University might even profit from the additional consumers who like hummus but until now have refused to purchase it exclusively on moral grounds.

In sum, I urge you to support the referendum. Whether it be because of the link between Sabra hummus and human rights abuses, or to provide alternatives to your fellow students, or simply because there is no good reason to oppose having more options, keep in mind that your vote is ultimately not about chickpeas. It is about people.

Yoel Bitran, a sociology major from Santiago, Chile, is president of the Princeton Committee on Palestine. He can be reached at ybitran@princeton.edu.