IN MID-AUGUST, a federal judge ruled that “supporting the Jewish state of Israel” qualifies as a “sincerely held religious belief” protected by the First Amendment for Jewish students at the University of California, Los Angeles. Because the Palestine solidarity encampment erected on campus in April required students who wanted to enter to criticize Israel and Zionism, Judge Mark C. Scarsi ordered that UCLA had failed to protect the constitutional rights of its Jewish students and was obligated to intervene and disband any such protest encampment in the future. The decision represents the latest blow to the pro-Palestine movement at UCLA, where the encampment was attacked a few days after its launch by counter-protestors who threw firecrackers and furniture at students, and then was ultimately forcibly dispersed by the Los Angeles Police Department early in the morning of May 2nd, with officers firing rubber bullets and arresting more than 200 protesters. The case indicates a concerning evolution in the legal tactics of Israel’s defenders, who are joining a longtime right-wing project to advance socially and politically regressive aims under the banner of religious liberty. ….more
