Singling out Israel

Acceptance of a continually threatening and fearful environment for Jewish students on campuses across North America must not be tolerated and condoned.

By DARYL TEMKIN
Updated: DECEMBER 1, 2015 13:43
Anti-Israel demonstrators march behind a banner of the BDS organization in Marseille, June 13. (photo credit: GEORGES ROBERT / AFP)
Anti-Israel demonstrators march behind a banner of the BDS organization in Marseille, June 13.
(photo credit: GEORGES ROBERT / AFP)
Experts note that the fastest rising movement today is the spread of anti-Israel hatred, and the North American university campus is a leading incubator for this trend.
Due to the rising tide of campus anti-Israel speakers, events and demonstrations, numerous American campuses have become hostile environments to Jewish students. Many of the anti-Israel events veer far beyond political debate and result in hateful anti-Semitism.
This has occurred to such an extent that Jewish students on many American campuses have been both physically and verbally threatened and abused.
Anti-Semitic physical and verbal threats frequently occur at lectures presented by anti-Israel guest speakers as well as campus faculty. The threats also occur at events such as Palestine Awareness Week, Israel Apartheid Week and anti-Israel demonstrations where the typical screaming of “From the River to the Sea – Palestine will be Free” clearly mean the entire land must be free of all Jews.
Along with this comes the university Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns and student government BDS resolution votes to further claim the merits of boycotting, divesting from and sanctioning only Israel as the world’s one and only evil and human rights-abusing country. Nothing resembling this sort or intensity of anger and venom is expressed on campuses with regard to the world’s massive human rights violators like North Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan and so many other despicable and lawless countries.
Only Israel is maliciously separated out for this draconian treatment and only Jews are held to blame. All the real human rights abusers are given a pass by most universities, student organizations, professors and guest lecturers.
The anger and fierce emotions shouted out at the anti-Israel demonstrations often reach extreme levels. I have personally witnessed a fistfight at an anti-Israel rally at University of California Irvine where pro-Palestinian students became enraged at a pro-Israel student. However this anger is not just directed at pro-Israel students but all Jewish students, regardless of their views on Israel.
Today, the Palestinian movement’s official Palestinian Authority and Hamas leadership, without shame, is daily calling for the stabbing and murdering of as many Jews as possible. This demand is declared as a core foundation of Palestinian national and religious identity. It’s not about “occupation,” the security wall or the right of return, it is their new intifada, called “the knife intifada” and “the youth intifada.” This third intifada includes multiple viral videos published on Facebook and You- Tube by the PA with imams teaching in detail how to effectively stab and murder Jews. Not just IDF soldiers, but all Jews.
This intifada is the outcome of years of Palestinian indoctrination and relentless incitement against all Jews and against the right of existence in any manner, size or shape of the Jewish State of Israel.
Many of the anti-Israel activities at the university campus have promoted the most radical of these hate teachings and incitement teachings, all meant to stir emotions to highly agitated levels.
The university anti-Israel demonstrations completely support the Palestinian movement, its leadership and their clearly stated goals which now, without a shadow of doubt, demand the death of all Jews living anywhere in Israel and the complete end of the Jewish state.
Acceptance of a continually threatening and fearful environment for Jewish students on campuses across North America must not be tolerated and condoned. The University of California is considering adopting the US State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism to address the frightening rise of anti-Semitism on its 10 campuses. UC has the opportunity to serve as a leader to public universities across the US and Canada and should take this step immediately. Universities across North America should follow suit.
The author is a university lecturer on issues related to Israel and the Jewish people and is founder of the Israel Institute for Alternative Energy Advancement.