May 6th was Holocaust Remembrance Day. The atrocities committed against millions of Jews and the repercussions of the Nazi’s systematic genocide reverberate to this day. Today, Jews in Israel are still fighting for the right just to exist. We would all benefit from some tempering of the knee-jerk reactions to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. It is important to also understand that much of what is happening on college campuses is occurring in the context of a larger historical pattern of antisemitism here and abroad.
Passion, protest, and rage without perspective and a plan is a recipe for pandemonium.
The world is not a black-and-white place. It is complicated and messy, and regarding the current conflict, many things can be true at the same time. War is a horrific thing. Nobody wants this to be happening, least of all the Jewish people in Israel and certainly not Jewish Americans. It’s a terrible situation.
The current episode of protests across the country has brought to light some ugly realities. It is sad to say, but nothing brings the far-right and the far-left together quite like anti-semitism and hatred of Jews. The majority of Americans do not feel this hate in their hearts, maybe not even the majority of protesters, but our voices are not the ones being heard right now.
The Group that led many of the protests on American campuses was the NSJP (National Students for Justice in Palestine). This group, the day after the horrific events of October 7, 2023, was praising the terror attacks, slaughter of children in front of their parents, parents in front of their children, the rape, and the kidnapping – they were praising it as a great victory, “a historic win for the Palestinian people”. The war hadn’t even started yet, there was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza yet, but the hate, the antisemitism, and the celebration of violence against Jews was already there.
Everyone should be able to peacefully protest an issue they care deeply about. But freedom of speech does not entitle protesters to engage in blatant hostility, harassment, and intimidation of their fellow Americans. Not all behaved badly, but plenty did. On the whole, these protests have been counterproductive and have alienated many who are concerned about the tragic toll on the civilian population from a war that Hamas started.
Genocide is defined as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.
If Israel intentionally targeted innocent Palestinians, there would be more than 300,000 dead, not 30,000. Israel is not deliberately targeting civilians and is not conducting genocide. They are going after the terrorists that raped, tortured, kidnapped, and killed Israeli and American citizens on October 7, 2023. Tragically, because of Hamas’s tactic of hiding among civilians, innocent lives have been lost in this war.
Protesters who depict the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a proxy to and part of the social justice and racial equality struggles here in America are engaging in a naive, historical oversimplification and misrepresentation of the issues.
The selective outrage and myopic focus on Gaza and the campaign to erode President Biden’s support in the November election risks damaging the progress on social justice issues, women’s reproductive rights, preservation of democracy, environmental protection, and climate change initiatives we are all fighting for.
Strangely, there has been silence from these same protesters over the killings of millions of Arab-speaking people by Arab-led regimes in various conflicts and genocides over the last couple of decades. Maybe it’s because Jews are involved this time? For some, Jews are not allowed to defend themselves and their country in the same way everyone else is. Because Jews are involved, it is now depicted as a colonialist genocide. Different rules apply, I guess.
Israel has a right to exist, and the Jewish people have a right to live without the constant threat from terrorists.
Before this war, there had been isolated terrorist attacks and intermittent rocket fire, all of which were generally tolerated by Israel. October 7, 2023, changed everything. Israel will not tolerate, nor should they tolerate, Hamas’s control of neighboring Gaza. It is no longer a tenable situation.
Imagine that a terrorist organization whose stated goal was destroying America and was based in Quebec, Canada, crossed the border and killed the equivalent of 40,000 American citizens on our own territory. That would be the beginning of a war, just as it was in Israel.
Israel has a right to defend itself and defeat the murderous Hamas terrorist regime.
At some point, however, after all the hostages have been returned and or Hamas leadership is destroyed, all parties involved should work towards a two-state solution, which ultimately is the only sustainable outcome for peace in the Middle East. Getting there will continue to be a tough road.
The Palestinian people deserve to live with peace and dignity just as much as Israelis do. Achieving that goal may seem very far off at this moment, but the goal must be maintained. There will be no peace and dignity, though, for the Palestinian people so long as they have the yoke of Hamas around their necks.
Living in a densely populated area does not grant sanctuary to a barbaric terrorist organization whose stated goal is to wipe Israel and its people off the face of the earth.
The death and suffering of innocent Palestinians, especially children, is terrible and unfortunate. War is an awful situation, but Israel did not start this war.
Israel’s prime minister is corrupt and he is not supported by the majority of the country, which was calling for his resignation before the war started. But for now, he is still their leader, and they stand behind him in this time of war. They are united for each other, not for him. Benjamin Netanyahu is ultimately responsible for the failure to protect the Israeli people on October 7th. When this war is over, he will pay a political price.
Prior to the war, the economic and daily situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza was already terrible. Hamas, which the people generally support and even elected to office, did very little to improve the daily lives of its own people. Instead, they spent their money on digging tunnels and weapons.
Hamas intentionally embeds itself and hides amongst the Palestinian population to use them as human shields and generate international outrage against Israel.
Hamas’s tactic has been successful in generating this global outrage. Look no further than the far-left U.S. college campus uproar that has engulfed the news.
Protesters calling for Universities to divest from doing business with Israeli companies and calling President Biden “Genocide Joe” are engaging in selective outrage and have undermined their own cause with many of their tactics and antisemitic language.
The Israeli military has made mistakes in this conflict, as often happens in war, and they should continue to make every effort to reduce collateral damage and deaths.
What is happening in Gaza is terrible, but it is not a genocide by any reasonable – logical standard. That is hyperbolic language coming from the far-left intent on demonizing U.S. support for Israel. Compared to other past wars, the ratio of combatants killed to civilians is about 1:2. This is incredibly low compared to the average ratio of 1:9 for other wars. Of course, this does not get any consideration by those protesting. Considering the urban environment and Hamas’s use of human shields, this low ratio is nothing short of remarkable.
Israel is an established country, and they have a right to defend themselves and respond when attacked. The Israelis have the right to hunt down, capture, and kill those responsible for the massacre of Oct. 7th.
On October 7th, Hamas terrorists crossed into Israeli territory and slaughtered and kidnapped Israeli college students and others who were peacefully and joyfully gathered together for a music festival. Where were the U.S. college protesters then? Did they speak out against these atrocities?
On October 7th, Hamas terrorists entered Jewish communities not far from the border with Gaza and brutally raped, mutilated, and murdered over one thousand Jews in front of their fellow family members and neighbors… including the elderly and children. Where were the protesters then?
On October 7th, Hamas terrorists took more than 200 hostages back into Palestinian-controlled territory, most of which are still being held; many have died in captivity. Among the hostages, there were eight Americans. Three are dead. Five are still being held. Where are the protesters against this Hamas inhumanity?
Israel is our Ally. The cultural and economic ties between our two western/democratic countries are deep and extensive. Israel is an open, multicultural society with over 2 million citizens of Arab descent, over 20% of the population. It is not a cultural monolith. Among its citizens, you’ll find a wide range of political beliefs, from ultra-conservative to far-liberal. Despite this variety, despite the feelings many Israelis have about Prime Minister Netanyahu, they are united by the belief that they should be able to live without fear of attack from their neighbors.
For the past 75 years, Israel has been surrounded by neighboring countries whose leaders and inhabitants have called for the annihilation of Israel and the Jewish people. “From the river to the sea”, that chant has rung out for decades. For Hamas and many Palestinians, the meaning is clear. Not one inch of land for a Jewish state. Protesters on American college campuses don’t get to be coy and whitewash the statement to mean something else.
Sadly, Jewish Americans are now subjected to this antisemitic, hate-filled, violent slogan while walking to their classes on campus and into their places of worship and business. It is unacceptable, and it has gone too far.
May 6th was Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day to recall the atrocities carried out against European Nazis. 91 years ago, on January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. On March 22 of that year, Dachau Concentration Camp opened. The horror had begun that culminated in the systematic capture and slaughter of over six million Jewish Europeans by the end of WWII.
Maybe the next time you hear “From the River to the Sea” calling for the elimination of Israel and the Jewish people, you’ll not just dismiss it as free speech by a bunch of crazy college kids and recognize what it is: hate speech. Maybe the next time you witness a group of pro-Hamas protesters blocking the path of Jewish students at an American University, you’ll recognize it for what it is: harassment, intimidation, and antisemitism.
Well-meaning liberal protesters across the country should be asking themselves – with so much on the line in the U.S. Presidential election: abortion rights, the survival of our democracy and free and fair elections, rising authoritarianism in the U.S., LGBTQ rights, environmental justice and climate change issues – is it worth it to risk all of that by intentionally undermining President Biden’s reelection effort? Is this the issue you’re willing to jeopardize everything for in a close election this November?
Take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture going on. Would you rather see Donald Trump and his MAGA troops take charge and take America and the world back to a dark, illiberal, authoritarian period? Next time, you may want to rethink the wisdom of chanting “Genocide Joe” and realize there is a better way to advocate for the end of the Gaza War and for peace in the Middle East.