EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of its mission to provide partner organizations and stakeholders with an updated and
realistic picture of the environment on U.S. campuses regarding Israel, Israel on Campus Coalition
(ICC) tracks thousands of Israel-related events at colleges and universities each semester. ICC
collects reports from national partner organizations, local campuses, and open-source material.
ICC analysts use this data to identify trends and assess changing needs at individual campuses
and across the broader campus community.
The 2015-2016 academic year marked a turning point for the pro- and anti-Israel campus
communities. ICC observed an overall decline in the number of BDS campaigns on U.S. college
campuses, with anti-Israel students focusing their efforts on other forms of activism, such as
attention-getting, visceral displays of anti-Israel sentiment. Campuses also saw a surge in disruptions of Israel-related events, during which anti-Israel activists attempted to silence lecturers
and guest speakers. In many cases, anti-Israel students resorted to heckling and name calling,
subjecting speakers to aggressive forms of verbal harassment. By filming and disseminating
videos of the event disruptions, protesters drew attention from the broader community, increasing
the reach of their intimidation tactics.
In addition to these trends, ICC observed important changes within the anti-Israel movement.
As anti-Israel activity declined on the West Coast, Chicago emerged as a hub for anti-Israel
activism. In ICC’s 2014-2015 Campus Trends Report, ICC noted an increase in anti-Israel activity
on the West Coast and in the Midwest. During the 2015-2016 academic year, anti-Israel activity
decreased on the West Coast and continued to increase in the Midwest.1
In another shift, anti-Israel Jewish groups continued to grow on U.S. campuses. Jewish Voice
for Peace (JVP), a harsh critic of Israel and a vocal proponent of BDS, expanded its presence
on American campuses. JVP’s presence on campus proved critical for SJP, helping it legitimize
anti-Zionist rhetoric and effectively defend against accusations of anti-Semitism.
Throughout the academic year, anti-Israel groups relied heavily on existing coalitions, capitalizing
on partnerships formed during previous years. Efforts on the part of the anti-Israel community
to collaborate with other campus groups resulted in student activists of diverse backgrounds
embracing and supporting the anti-Israel cause as part of a broader protest movement. In recent
years, SJP and its allies have adopted a strategy of merging their agendas with those of other
campus activist organizations. In many cases, these efforts produced shared issue platforms,
which combined anti-Israel demands with support for other causes.
These developments have transformed the anti-Israel movement on American campuses. After
years of focusing efforts and resources on fighting BDS measures, Israel’s supporters must now
1.
http://israelcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ICC-2014-2015-Campus-Trends-Report.pdf
3
www.israelcc.org