Although the Princeton Committee on Palestine does call on students to personally boycott Sabra, the referendum does not advocate a boycott. We have chosen to word the referendum this way because we do not want to force the University into taking a political stance. We also want to allow students to make their own decisions about Sabra. Supporting the referendum does not in any way mean that you are boycotting Sabra yourself. Even if you do not personally agree with boycotting Sabra, you should still consider supporting a referendum that calls for the University to offer freedom of choice to all students. Vote “yes” on the referendum to provide yourself and fellow students the opportunity to purchase an alternative hummus not connected to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.
In case you have not been following this heated debate, PCP is a student organization that aims to raise awareness about Israel’s military occupation and its policies of separation that compromise the basic rights of millions of Palestinians. We advocate for a just and fair solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our present campaign aims to focus student attention on the ways that we, as Princeton students, are connected to this conflict. Although human rights violations against Palestinians are happening halfway across the world, we indirectly contribute to them through the products we buy, the taxes we pay and the institutions we support. Therefore, our goal is to educate students so that they can make informed purchasing decisions.
Why are many students refusing to buy Sabra hummus and advocating for the opportunity to purchase an alternative? It is not because The Strauss Group, which owns 50 percent of Sabra Dipping Company, is Israeli. Rather, it is because of the company’s decision to support the Golani Brigade, whose soldiers have committed violations of human rights that have been documented by the BBC, The New York Times and Israeli human rights organizations. As soon as The Strauss Group is no longer associated with supporting these crimes, we will change our purchasing patterns. Students are also choosing to personally boycott Sabra as part of a growing international movement. This movement employs nonviolent means to pressure companies involved with the Israeli occupation to stop endorsing it.
Admittedly, the information surrounding this campaign has been unclear; if you read Friday’s column by Samson Schatz ’13, “Middle East with a side of hummus,” you may be even more confused. Let’s set a few things straight. As Schatz correctly notes, The Strauss Group does provide care packages to the Golani Brigade. However, it also provides direct financial support to Golani soldiers. More important than the specific form of its support is the company’s active decision to sponsor this brigade. It is this active decision to support the brigade, despite its mistreatment of Palestinians, to which students object.
Schatz’s column criticized the language of the referendum as ambiguous. However, the language is neutral by necessity because this is not a political statement, but instead a survey aimed at expressing general consumer preferences. The ultimate decision about what alternatives to offer, how many to offer, etc., rests with Dining Services and not with PCP or the USG.
Finally, the column states that PCP and our campaign aim to delegitimize Israel. On the contrary, personally boycotting Sabra applies economic pressure that encourages Israeli decisions to ensure basic rights for Palestinians. An improvement in Israeli policies toward Palestinians should in fact legitimize Israel in the eyes of the international community.
I hope it is now clear why you should support the referendum to give students free choice. As Addie Lerner ’11, a vice president of Tigers for Israel, said in an article published Friday, “We’re all for consumer choice and multiple brands sold alongside Sabra.” So please join us in promoting options for all students.
After the referendum, it will be up to you, individually, to decide whether you choose to purchase Sabra hummus or not. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is about much more than just hummus. I challenge you to think critically, to gather information about Israel’s occupation, and to support all students’ rights to make their own decisions.
Clare Herceg ’11 is treasurer of the Princeton Committee on Palestine. She can be reached at cherceg@princeton.edu.
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