The Union of Progressive Zionists (UPZ) was a North American network of Jewish student activists who have organized around principles of social justice and peace in Israel and Palestine.
The UPZ provides guidance, education, and resources to students who seek to contribute a progressive voice into the campus debate concerning Israel and Palestine.
[2][3][4] From its founding, the stated intention of the group was to create a network of student activists who supported Israel and opposed the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories but felt alienated by both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian extremists.
Some of the coalition's more conservative members, such as the mainstream American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) and the small right-wing group Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), criticized the UPZ for sponsoring speeches by members of an Israeli organization, Breaking the Silence, former soldiers who speak out against human rights abuses they have witnessed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Although the coalition's steering committee voted 9–0 against expulsion in January 2007, the issue resulted in a debate among major Zionist organizations.