JTA — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel unexpectedly dropped charges against seven pro-Palestinian student protesters, suggesting that an improper statement from a Jewish group motivated her decision.

Nessel brought the felony and misdemeanor charges in September against the protesters, who had participated in the University of Michigan’s encampment last May. They stood accused of obstructing police and trespassing.

Critics, including Palestinian-American Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib, said Nessel brought the case because of “bias.” Nessel, who is Jewish, responded that Tlaib’s claims were “antisemitic and wrong,” but the criticism persisted. Last month, lawyers for some of the defendants called on Nessel to recuse herself from the case.

“It’s our position that either the bias or the appearance of it is enough to merit recusal because the public has got to have faith that prosecutors are acting in the best interests of justice and are treating individuals fairly,” said one of the defense lawyers, Jamil Khuja, according to Michigan Public.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Ann Arbor aimed to rebut those accusations when it issued a statement supporting Nessel last Friday.

“If it were successful, this would mark the first time a prosecutor would be disqualified from prosecuting a case based on perceived bias due to their religious faith,” said the statement from the JCRC, which is an arm of the local Jewish federation. “The notion that AG Nessel is biased against Muslims and Americans of Arab descent is unfounded and deeply........

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