The City University of New York (CUNY) will grant course credits to students who will arrive for the screening of the controversial Jordanian film Farha, in which IDF soldiers are depicted executing a Palestinian family and an infant.
Jewish and Israeli students and faculty at the country's largest urban university, which is funded by U.S. taxpayer money, were shocked to receive an invitation to the event which will take place at the end of the month at the Manhattan campus as part of a “Palestinian Solidarity” series of the Center for Justice and Social Equality.
Students who attend the screening will be awarded course credits towards their degree as part of an educational activities program held after regular school hours.
“We will close our ‘Palestinian Solidarity’ series with a movie,” the invitation reads. “Join us as we teach ourselves about the Palestinian struggle by watching Farha, which depicts the Palestinian diaspora through the point of view of a 14-year-old girl.”
The film was selected to represent Jordan in the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars. It received media attention in Israel and around the world after several ministers and politicians spoke out against the film and against Netflix for choosing to broadcast it in Israel.
CUNY's "Palestinian Solidarity" series also includes an exhibition that runs until April 3 with a "visual timeline of the occupied Palestinian land," and the "longest military occupation in history," the posters and graphics depicting the event said.
The exhibition does not hide its bias regarding the conflict, stating that "there is no conflict - what is happening in Palestine is colonialism, military occupation, land theft, and ethnic cleansing. The word ‘conflict’ implies that there are two equal sides, which is not the case.”
The timeline depicts various historical events such as the intifadas and the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh. However, it fails to acknowledge instances of Palestinian terrorists attacking Israeli civilians and instances of conflict with terrorist groups.