Why Do College Students Protest Israel But Not Russia ?
Russia has killed thousands of civilians in Ukraine , Israel has killed thousands of civilians in Gaza. Yet there are ongoing protests against Israel on college campuses and none that I know of against Russia.
Why is that ?
There are two compelling explanations , in my opinion. One is the eternal scourge of anti-semitism , a mindset that blames Jews for most if not all of the worlds woes. This has gone on for many hundreds of years around the world. There is also another compelling explanation though - the US does not give material support to Russia, quite the contrary, but it does give material support to Israel.
A protest against American support for Russia would be literally non sensical, but a protest against American support for Israel has at least some basis in the facts on the ground .
In 2024 many young Americans no longer have the psychological bond with Israel that previous generations, much more familiar with the facts of persecution of Jews that led to the Holocaust , have had . They see the Palestinian people with no agency, no place where they decide all of their circumstances for themselves. The international community, and in particular the major powers have failed to find a solution to the "Palestinian problem" for decades now , and it doesnt seem fair to the young people who are now so upset with both Israel and the United States.
How does irrational anti-semitism get so entwined with legitimate protest against 30,000 dead civilians in Gaza ? One reason is that Israel has a government that bows down to religious and ethnic considerations regarding their policies.
President Biden has done the only thing he can under the circumstances, he has supported Israel's fight to remove Hamas, and continued to support providing Israel with diplomatic and military aid, but also showed concern and empathy for the thousands of dead innocent civilians, and for Palestinians legitimate aspirations for a two state solution.
Its hard to see how he could do any more.
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Right wing media wants to paper over every aspect of the college protests except the instances of anti-semitism.
Exactly, protests can have many aspects. I was in our nation's Capital in April 1971. On the 24th, half a million demonstrated against the Vietnam War, the largest-ever demonstration opposing the war. While opposition to that war was a major aspect, there were other competing aspects.
The “Third World Coalition” of nonwhite activists wanted to address racism and imperialism. Others want to voice opposition to systemic barriers oppressing people of color and Indigenous people in the US.
And many of us wanted to party, get high and laid. I knew then that diversity would always be part of my life.
"but also showed concern and empathy for the thousands of dead innocent civilians, and for Palestinians legitimate aspirations for a two state solution."
The Palestinians elected Hamas to be their "leaders", and overwhelmingly still support them. So most of these civilians are complicit in what has happened in Gaza. Hamas and the Palestinians at no time have had aspirations for a two-state solution.
There are other issues on which I can't agree with you, but with respect to this one you are speaking for me as much as yourself. Using UNRWA schools and teachers, Hamas has irrevocably influenced the Gazans with a military bent and hatred of Israel while on a religious level the Koran has commanded the Muslims to kill the Jews while their Imams preach to them that the Day of Judgment will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. The United Nations and its UNRWA agency and the majority of its members have succeeded in creating the antisemitism for which it has become notorious. If there are innocent Gazans they are few and far between and do include infants and children who have not already been ruined by their schools - but for them, unfortunately there are casualties of war wherein the innocent suffer, as hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians did at the heavy hands of America and its allies during WW2, as so many like to forget. Nobody would have seen such numbers had Hamas (numbers I don't believe being announced by the Hamas proven liars) a declared terrorist organization, not hid among the civilians, which is a humanitarian crime and contrary to all laws concerning war.
As for why the Palestinians are not, after 75 years, their own state, maybe it's because they have always walked away from the opportunities they've been given, like offers made by Israel to them of 95% and then 97% of their demands being complied with, walked away because one reason I take note of was because it was required that they would have to recognize Israel as a Jewish nation (and everyone knows it is not ENTIRELY a Jewish nation anyway, because there are percentages of Muslims and Christians and others welcome to live there who take part in all levels of Israeli life from the Supreme Count and down). If a lazy person's parents and relatives supported them for the rest of their lives, why would they bother getting a job? Why would they leave home? Why would they even WANT to become independent? Well if they are so special, and so treated differently than any other refugees by anyone or any organization or nation throughout the history of the world like the Palestinians to the fourth and fifth generation as PERMANENT refugees have been and still are by a special unit set up by the United Nations called UNRWA to coddle them forever, supported by YOUR TAX DOLLARS, why would they even THINK of becoming independent, of growing up?
But don't worry, the donations given to the Palestinians and Gazans of YOUR TAX DOLLARS to support them are well used to support the terrorist prisoners in Israeli prisons who have blood on their hands, and their families if the terrorists have been killed while they were killing Jews, or supporting Palestinian and Hamas officials and their families like keeping Madame Arafat in her Paris mansion and increasing their Swiss bank accounts and mansions in other countries.
By the way, I just read that an "independent" review by the United Nations of the accusation that UNWRA staff have been involved with Hamas, such as in the October 7th attack, has determined no involvement. If you believe that then you should also believe that I am the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
I could say more, but then at least I've had personal experience concerning those fucking terrorists, while the bleeding hearts around the world have no idea, no idea at all.
Now I'm disappointed-- because I always had believed you actually were the reincarnation of Christ! (Peace Be Upon Him!).
Upon him...and his offspring... unto all generations!
Bless you, my son.
Ah, so you watched The DaVinci Code.
The answer is that college students are taught history from a Marxist perspective IE oppressors vs the oppressed. Thus, the Palestinians were victims. On the other hand the Ukrainians don't quite measure up since they broke from Russia over ECONOMICS....they rejected Communism.
Today's lesson.
Yes. The Ukrainians rejected Communism- - which is why the Republicans are so opposed to giving aid to the Ukraine!
Makes perfect sense...
Because the US government is supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russia to the tune of billions of dollars.
How are students supposed to protest against the US government doing that?
Or did you miss that these current protests aren't just against Israel; but the US as well?
We will leave the waving of the Ukrainian flag on the floor of the House to Democrats as backup to why there are no college protests against Russia. Think there wouldn't have been protests if Republicans would have waived the Israeli flag on the House floor after the passage of the Israeli aid bill?
I can't figure out why anybody can support Hamas
Its because Hamas wants to exterminate the Jews-- and some people don't like Jews.
Which is why Israel has no alternative but to exterminate Hamas first.
The sooner the bettter