Berkeley Reinstates ‘Zionism-is-Colonialism’ Course After Free Speech Outcry

The University of California Berkeley has reinstated a student-led course called “Palestine: A Settler Colonial Analysis,” after public outcry over its suspension last week.

The syllabus said it would “explore the connection between Zionism and settler colonialism” — settler colonialism being when a foreign people, with imperial backing, take control of a region by moving into it. It would also explore the establishment of the State of Israel, how Zionism has affected the lives of Palestinians, and “the possibilities of a decolonized Palestine.”

“I hope we can now focus on the challenging intellectual and political questions that this course seeks to address,” Hadweh said in a press statement released September 19. “It seems that because I’m Palestinian studying Palestine, I’m guilty until proven innocent.”