College campuses across the US are overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian and stand against Israel. Central student governments don’t mince words, “The Israelite occupation amounts to war crimes,” they state, “Palestinians are subjected to Israeli colonialism, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid.”
Jewish students are being personally targeted and subjected to online persecution and hatred for expressing their support for Israel. The toxic atmosphere on US campuses has been long in the making.
Pro-Palestinian activists at the University of Michigan stated, “Through decades of student organizing we’ve been able to get to the place where pro-Palestine activism can take place.”
Volatile accusations against Israel of colonialism, ethnic cleansing, apartheid and war crimes, however, are often rooted in a lack of knowledge of history. Instead of colonialism, Israel has found itself on the receiving end of aggression resulting in numerous wars since Israel’s statehood in 1948. Ethnic cleansing? Arabs in Israel are free to exercise their Islamic religion and even criticize the state without fear of repercussions.
Pro-Palestinians on college campuses often chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The meaning is clear, if Palestine will be free from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, the Jews must be defeated and annihilated.
Israeli Prime Minister Bennett was recently asked in an interview, “When will the tension between the Palestinians and Israelis end?” Bennett’s replied, “The answer is simple, tensions will end when they stop trying to kill us.”
The pro-Palestinian sentiment on college campuses throughout the country is concerning. That generation of students is increasingly anti-Semitic and will become leaders and influencers as they enter the workforce. Yet the US has no greater ally in the Middle East than in Israel.
By Pastor Rich Jones
