When we have Jewish students being openly harrassed on college campuses, we have a problem. The war between Israel and Hamas is not isolated to that region, at least in an ideological sense. There are supporters of both sides in other countries, including The United States. In the US, there have been protests that are anti-Israel despite the fact that the United States and Israel are allies. From professors to students there are those who are vehemently anti – Israel. Many do not see Israel as the victim of a brutal terrorist attack, they see them as an oppressor that brought this upon themselves. Whether or not Israel is right in previous conflicts, there is no excuse for terrorism. There is no excuse for slaughtering civilians.
It is worth noting that the United States did not receive significant calls for a ceasefire after we were attacked on 9/11. According to the US Department of State, in the aftermath of 9/11 there was an “unprecedented coalition against international terrorism.” Israel is being treated differently. On 9/11, we did not suffer the documented, up close viciousness of Hamas´ attack. We were not invaded by thousands of terrorists that raped, tortured, murdered, wounded, and kidnapped our citizens. Even without these factors, 9/11 was horrific and as illogical and senseless as Hamas´ attack on Israel. The United States and at least 120 other countries, who agreed to reject terrorism and show respect to 9/11 victims, could see that then. This quote from President Bush best explains terrorists, all terrorists — “This new enemy seeks to destroy our freedom and impose its views. We value life; the terrorists ruthlessly destroy it. We value education; the terrorists do not believe women should be educated or should have health care, or should leave their homes. We value the right to speak our minds; for the terrorists, free expression can be grounds for execution. We respect people of all faiths and welcome the free practice of religion; our enemy wants to dictate how to think and how to worship even to their fellow Muslims.”
The United States government has put their support behind Israel. According to Cathy McMorris Roger´s official website, seven bills have recently been passed to fight antisemitism and support Israel. Many of the Anti -Israel or anti -Jewish sentiments are emanating from our academic institutions. Ironically, there has been a large amount of misinformation coming from college students; which is interesting considering that college is supposed to be where people are educated. An example of this anti-semitism is the Cornell student, Patrick Dai, who was recently arrested for making threats against Jewish students. This student is a Hamas supporter, and his threats against Jewish students were violent and detailed. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there were students in over one-hundred United States colleges that staged walkouts to end aid being sent to Israel. Many of the protests are anti -Jewish and pro-Hamas; they are stating that the Jewish people do not have a right to their own country.
There is a saying, if you don’t remember history, you are doomed to repeat it. Let’s all think back to the 1930s and 40s when Hitler began spreading propaganda against Jewish people. His mission ultimately failed, but his victories were catastrophic. Antisemitism does not excuse any violence against Muslims. Hamas is not Palestinian. There are people in Gaza who are also victims of terrorism. You cannot give any significance to the location of terrorists. Victims of terrorism span across religious, racial, and ethnic boundaries. Justifying it against one group sets a precedent for the terrorists to come after the rest. If you don’t speak up for others, no one will be left to speak up for you.
