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The debate continues on Case Western Reserve University鈥檚 campus after a resolution was passed by the undergraduate student government Wednesday calling on the university to divest from companies and organizations that provide support to Israel's military, industry and prisons. The resolutions says that the nation is engaging in apartheid and human rights abuses against Palestine.

President Eric Kaler responded forcefully to the resolution in a letter to the campus community, condemning it as 鈥減rofoundly anti-Israel and profoundly anti-Semitic,鈥� and arguing that a vote for the resolution was an 鈥渁ggression toward the Jewish members of our community.鈥�

鈥淲hile the resolution calls for disinvestment in a na茂ve list of companies that they view as oriented to the military or in support of corporate correction prisons, undoubtedly it promotes anti-Semitism,鈥� Kaler said.

Kaler鈥檚 letter itself drew a similarly strongly worded response from the Council on American-Islamic Relations鈥� national organization and its Cleveland chapter, calling it 鈥渄ishonest, dangerous and defamatory,鈥� according to a press release.

鈥淧resident Kaler conflates the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people with antisemitism and hate,鈥� the council wrote. 鈥淚n doing so, he commits the logical fallacy of attacking a straw man. Moreover, he dismissively erases the perspective of the Palestinian students on campus, many of whose immediate families are directly impacted by the Israeli occupation.鈥�

The resolution argues that the university, through the act of possessing 鈥渉oldings in companies that contribute to occupation and apartheid,鈥� is directly culpable for the 鈥渙ppression of the Palestinian people.鈥�

It asks the university to investigate to see if it has investment holdings in a variety of companies, from arms maker Lockheed Martin to Sabra Hummus, and divest from those companies. It was approved 31-15 by the student governmental body, CWRU student newspaper The Observer .

The resolution is similar to a resolution approved by Ohio State University鈥檚 student government earlier this year. They echo the broader that has proven controversial in the U.S. in recent years.

Zack, a Case Western Reserve student who asked that his last name not to be used for fear of retribution, said Kaler effectively alienated much of the student body with his statement.

鈥淭he fact that he calls it antisemitic is just a slap in the face to actual antisemitism,鈥� Zack said.

He also said Kaler has not been supportive of Palestinian students on campus who also might face backlash from Kaler鈥檚 statement accusing the students of antisemitism.

鈥淗e has given the bill itself infinitely more attention than if he just ignored it,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e also chose to meet with Jewish students and the Hillel Organization, yet completely ignored talking to any Muslim/Middle Eastern students or associations.鈥�

A Case Western Reserve spokesperson declined to respond to these assertions and declined to respond to the CAIR statement.

Zack said he was present during the undergraduate student government鈥檚 debate. He said the debate was heated but civil, noting that some Jewish students raised concerns about being targeted on campus. He said there was some discussion about antisemitic incidents rising on campuses that have passed similar resolutions, and said that鈥檚 鈥渢errible鈥� and should be called out when seen. He said he has seen some antisemitic language recently on campus on some social media platforms, like the anonymous app Yik Yak.

Jared Isaacson, executive director of the Cleveland Hillel Foundation, said in an email obtained by Cleveland Jewish News, that .

鈥淭he resolution attempted to hide anti-Israel rhetoric within broader language opposing the 鈥榤ilitary-industrial complex, and the prison-industrial complex,鈥欌�� he wrote. 鈥淚n effect, the legislation falsely smears Israel, Israelis, and many Jews as anti-peace, and last night鈥檚 debate 鈥� like so many before it here and on other campuses - rested on familiar and repeated antisemitic tropes.鈥�

Kaler previously has been outspoken in his opposition to the BDS movement, with The Observer this connection locally. In 2013, then-Univeristy of Minnesota President Kaler sent a letter arguing BDS movements 鈥渦ndermine academic freedom鈥� in response to the American Studies Association voting to boycott Israeli academic institutions.

International non-governmental watchdogs like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International Israel has committed the crime of apartheid against Palestinian people, while the Anti-Defamation League decries BDS efforts as anti-Semitic and an attempt to de-legitimize the state of Israel. The U.S. House overwhelmingly the BDS campaign as well in 2019.