Statement on 'Op-Ed: Real justice in Palestine'

To the Tufts community, especially our Arab, Muslim, LGBT and Palestinian members,

The Tufts Daily published the op-ed titled “Real Justice in Palestine” on April 5, 2019.

“Real Justice in Palestine” drew a false equivalency between countries with largely Muslim populations and Arab countries, and further suggested that such places are uniquely homophobic, in contrast with Israel, a country where same-sex marriage is illegal.

This op-ed also characterized the idea that training programs in Israel have impacted the way American police do their jobs as a conspiracy theory without providing evidence for this claim.

This op-ed also suggested that Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) were condoning the “muffling” of free speech after guest speakers at an SJP event did not address specific political topics. This choice, made independently by the guest speakers and their “organizational chaperone,” does not constitute a condoning of Hamas on behalf of SJP.

We recognize that such mischaracterizations, omissions and distortions have a serious negative impact on groups targeted by them and have no place in a fair press. We apologize for providing a platform for unfair portrayals of certain groups. In light of this lapse in the rigor of our editing, we are revising the op-ed submission and editing processes.

The Tufts Daily Managing Board

Elie Levine, Anita Ramaswamy, David Levitsky, Daniel Montoya and Luke Allocco

April 26, 2019