A debate on a bill about Palestinian rights Tuesday ended before the proposal’s merits could be discussed at a Student Bar Association meeting at the MSU-Detroit College of Law Building.

The association decided it was not in its position to take a side on political issues because it represent the entire student body as the majority of the board voted against the bill. As a result, the board never debated the bill’s content.

“The process isn’t going to always go the way you think it’s going to go,” association President James Liggins said to the group of interested students who had attended the meeting. “But the process is fair,” he said.

Second-year law student Dan Andoni sponsored the bill, which said the association agreed that Palestinians have a right to return to their homes or receive compensation from Israel.

“The concerns of students should be your main concern,” Andoni said to the board during the meeting. He also said if it voted against the bill, it might set a precedent against ever voting on social justice issues in the future.

Association Vice President Dan Holwerda reminded the board that the issue did not directly affect students and that some potential donors had expressed disapproval of the board putting the debate on the agenda.

Ben Manson, president of the Jewish Legal Society at the MSU-Detroit College of Law, agreed and said while he respected Andoni’s right to voice his opinion, he thought it was a “highly political and religious issue” and that the school should not be involved.

But while the majority of the board voted against the bill, some members agreed that the association should take a stance on political issues.

“We as the association have the opportunity to open ourselves to issues that students bring to us,” said Molly Bowers, a second-year law student. “We (should) take that on as opposed to getting TVs and planning parties.”

Liggins said that while the board could not take a stance on such an issue, it could provide means for students to voice their opinions and that the board was considering having a mock arbitration about the land dispute in Israel.

“I believe that this is an issue of great importance and would hate to have this issue die,” he said.