SOAS: The School of Occupation and Apartheid Studies

Sam Landis, BA Social Anthropology and International Relations

On November 29, 2022, over 50 students gathered outside SOAS for a rally held on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. Organized by the SOAS Palestine Society, the group called attention to the recent violence experienced by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. According to the Middle East Eye, 2022 has been the West Bank’s deadliest year since 2006, with 167 Palestinians murdered by Israeli forces.

With a banner labeling SOAS as the ‘School of Occupation and Apartheid Studies’, protestors also criticized the university’s relationship with the Israeli state and resisted recent e orts by SOAS management to crack down on Palestinian activism. For years, SOAS students of Hebrew were o ered spots at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an institution responsible for racism against Palestinian students, as well as the dispossession of countless Palestinians from their territory. SOAS students were also allocated accommodation in Israeli settlements located in occupied East Jerusalem. In

2020, SOAS switched partners to Haifa University, built on colonized Mount Carmel and home to three military colleges and a military base where students planning to join the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) can train and receive degrees.

According to the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, as of 2019, SOAS had invested £1.8 million in companies complicit in Israeli apartheid, although questions have been raised

SOAS: School of Occupation and Apartheid Studies

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Dear Spirit readers,

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In the Spirit of new beginnings, I’d like to take this opportunity to lay out our aspirations for the new year. Firstly, we aim to double down on the tireless work that went into the production of our rst two editions, producing original, high quality content which is both of and for the SOAS community. Secondly, we’re looking to broaden our digital reach, moving into new arenas of content creation with the revamp of our podcast series “ at’s the Spirit”, and breathing new life into our digital reporting - a project which has been diligently led by our Executive Digital Editor, Millie Glaister. irdly, we want to hear more from you, having a diverse range of contributors in an asset which we are increasingly looking to draw upon. As the pool of experience available to us grows, our news coverage will grow alongside it, allowing us to create News which is truly re ective of all our experiences, not just the mainstream.

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Looking to our rst edition of the year, I believe we have created an edition which truly re ects our push for greater participatory diversity. is issue is one which covers the length and breadth of the current political, social, and economic landscape. With several revelatory, exclusive investigations, heartfelt opinion pieces, and a punchy dose of cultural commentary, the issue is one which I believe we can be proud of. Of particular note is our International News section, an area of the paper which has only gone from strength to strength under the skilled editorship of Viandito. For the rst time since I began my tenure as Editor, this issue will be accompanied by the release of a series of interviews, the rst of which will take place with SOAS Director, Adam Habib. Whilst the outcome of any interview is never certain, we pledge to continue to hold those in power to account, and voice the questions and concerns which matter to you the most.

To conclude, I’d like to end this letter in a slightly di erent way than I have previously. e coming months will undoubtedly be trying for us all. With the cancellation of teaching time, and disruption to all our daily lives, it may seem like an easy solution to turn on those around us. I implore you both as an Editor and fellow student to resist this fallacy, and instead aim your anger at those with the power to remedy this situation - the institution. is may seem like a bizarre request for an Editor to make, a er all, journalists are meant to remain impartial in the face of tumult. However, Journalism at its core has always been about the relentless pursuit of justice through the discovery and distribution of the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. In this instance, the truth we are faced with is a binary one, either we stand with the sta who seek to act in our mutual interest, or we play into the divide and conquer mentality of those who seek to sow discord amongst us. We at e Spirit know where we stand, and we hope that you’ll stand with us.

Toby Oliver-Clarke Editor-In-Chief of the SOAS Spirit