Students for Justice in Palestine disaffiliated from the University after officials suspended the group through spring 2027, marking their second sanction in the past four months.
Officials revoked SJP’s organization status through spring 2027 for disorderly conduct related to the group’s push to fire economics professor Joseph Pelzman, University spokesperson Katelyn Deckelbaum confirmed. The sanction comes on the heels of officials’ April decision to suspend the organization through spring 2026 for an outcome violation and prompted the group to disaffiliate from GW, according to a member of SJP who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from the University.
Deckelbaum said Conflict Education and Student Accountability received a report on Feb. 25 of physical posters targeting a faculty member. She said CESA subsequently investigated a social media post and postering by the organization and entered into conduct proceedings with the group.
Pelzman authored and sent to President Donald Trump a plan proposing the economic redevelopment of the Gaza Strip, which prompted SJP in February to demand that GW fire him. Pelzman’s plan called for mass excavation of Gaza and the creation of a “sovereign demilitarized green economy” in the territory.
As a part of their petition for officials to fire Pelzman, SJP posted photos on Instagram from anonymous students showing about 20 “notice of eviction” flyers strewn around his office door in Monroe Hall.
Deckelbaum did not say when CESA entered into conduct proceedings with the organization or when officials issued the sanction.
Deckelbaum said the group underwent a panel-level process, one of two typical conduct processes available to students and organizations, and officials offered them the opportunity to appeal the decision. SJP did not appeal the decision.
The member of SJP said the organization disaffiliated so the group doesn’t waste time undergoing conduct proceedings and can instead focus on pressuring University officials to end financial support for companies tied to the war in Gaza and not resist capitulating to Trump.
“Because SJP has never consistently received the privileges extended to other student organizations – including funding and the ability to book space on campus – we are choosing to disaffiliate from GW, and we’re doing so because it will allow us to be more active in combating Zionism on campus,” the member said in an email.
SJP’s move to disaffiliate from the University comes after Jewish Voice for Peace, another pro-Palestinian organization, unveiled plans to do so earlier this month after officials suspended the group through spring 2026 for violating University policies in late April.
In April, University officials suspended SJP after the group hosted an event without advisor approval in March. Officials required that the organization receive adviser approval for all on-and-off-campus events as a part of their sanctions from the conduct proceedings after the April 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment in University Yard.
Officials also suspended the organization for a full year in April for hosting unapproved events in March. CESA mandated that the organization complete trainings and educational workshops including teach-ins on University policies for at least 10 semesters after their suspension, according to the April CESA decision that was obtained by The Hatchet.
The SJP member said CESA first contacted the organization about their new conduct charges in early April. They said CESA officials contacted SJP after the group went through conduct proceedings for its April sanctions, but before they received their first suspension on April 14.
“While a panel found that SJP was not responsible for charges related to an anonymously submitted image of an eviction notice placed on Pelzman’s office door, CESA ruled that merely posting the image on Instagram constituted disorderly conduct,” they said in an email.
The suspension and disaffiliation come as the University faces scrutiny from the Department of Justice, which found GW acted deliberately indifferent to campus antisemitism.
The investigation focuses mainly on incidents from the pro-Palestinian encampment, including protesters harassing and intimidating Jewish students walking through U-Yard. The DOJ’s investigation found that the University violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to properly address antisemitic and anti-Israeli rhetoric on campus.
University President Ellen Granberg defended officials’ work combating antisemitic rhetoric at a Faculty Senate meeting earlier this month. She said the University is committed to promoting an inclusive environment and addressing antisemitism.
SJP has faced numerous disciplinary proceedings in recent years, including a semester-long suspension and semester-long probation over their involvement in the pro-Palestine encampment. Officials suspended the group for three months in November 2023, after members of the organization projected anti-Israel and anti-GW messages onto Gelman Library on Oct. 24, 2023, a few weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the onset of the war in Gaza.
