ARA Ends Divestment Campaign

It is with some regret that ARA announces that we have officially decided to end our Palestine solidarity campaign at Wayne State University’s campus. We have militantly pursued divestment for almost two years now. We have had many successes, met many inspiring individuals and groups, made all the necessary enemies, and, hopefully, set an example for the future. This blog will continue as a way for us to comment on events pertaining to Palestine solidarity in the US and around the world.

This announcement comes on the heels of an approximately six-month period of relative inactivity at Wayne State. Our proudest moment was perhaps our confrontation of Daniel Pipes in October of last year, but since then, we have had little success meeting interested and committed Palestine solidarity activists.

Already in the activist community, our commitment and courage has been called into question, as word of this announcement has circulated. We would like to stress that ARA was always an expression of an important strand of militancy both in the Arab and Muslim community and in the anti-imperialist and anti-racist social justice community. If our campaign ends today, it is not because that strand has vanished from our own hearts, but because it has not met with a similar strand in the hearts and minds of others.

The reality is that too many people looked to us to lead the struggle, and saw in our activity a validation for their own inactivity. As long as ARA was around, “fighting the good fight,” it seemed others could simply go about their lives, not really worrying about Palestine. As a result, the ranks of ARA have depleted over time, and continuing our campaign has no longer become tenable. But we are not ending our campaign because we are tired or bored or afraid. We are ending it because we simply have not met enough people with the courage to confront Israeli apartheid, US imperialism, and popular opinion in the United States. In spite of this, we hold out hope and confidence that at a future time, we will meet courageous people willing to say, “enough is enough,” and who will join us in the struggle for Palestine.

In solidarity,

ARA