Netanyahu denounces “antisemitic crowds” on US university campuses | The Hill

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting of Israeli officials at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. ( AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg )
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Tuesday denounced the anti-Palestinian demonstrations that are roiling college campuses across the United States, claiming they are “antisemitic crowds” targeting Jews and professors.
” So what’s happening on America’s college campuses is horrific. Racist crowds have taken over leading institutions. They call for the death of Israel, they attack Israeli students, they attack Jewish university. This is similar to what took place in European institutions in the 1930s, according to Netanyahu during a Tuesday picture address.
In recent days, protests calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict have erupted on numerous college campuses across the United States, leading to detention, student punishments, and extensive police presence.
Although the majority of the protests have been reported to be quiet, questions have been raised about the proliferating antisemitism and the health of individuals. Some rally groups have refrained from calling the new demonstrations in the United States racist despite the rise in antisemitism following Hamas’s attacks against Israel on October 7.
” We are frustrated by media obstacles focusing on inflammation people who do not reflect us”, opposition leaders , wrote in a statement , Sunday. Our people have been misidentified by a socially determined mob, according to wikipedia.
We strongly reject any kind of racism or prejudice and are vigilant against non-students from attempting to stifle the solidarity being established among students,” they continued. ” Arab, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Black and pro- Arab classmates and acquaintances who represent the whole richness of our nation”.
A large group of protesters from the Columbia University opposition camp on Monday held a Easter Seder in front of the opposition camp has been highlighted by the opposition organizations’ huge number of protesters who are Jewish.
Netanyahu on Tuesday argued that there is an “exponential fall” in racism in the United States and throughout Western cultures, and that there should be more administrators in schools. He also urged school administrators to get greater activity.
” It’s inexcusable, it has to be stopped, it has to be condemned and condemned unequivocally”, he said. ” But that’s not what happened. Many college presidents ‘ responses were dishonest.
We’ve seen in history that racist attacks were generally followed by demonization and defamation lies that were spread against Jews, which were unbelievable, yet people still believed,” he continued. What is crucial right now is for everyone who cares about and values our beliefs and our society to stand up together and declare that enough is enough.
The Israeli authorities called the protesters “terrorists” who are “openly supporting terror,” in a Monday article on the social network X.
School administrators are now faced with the difficult task of keeping students safe and inclusive while also allowing free expression.
Last year, hundreds of students occupied the center of Columbia and its leadership, causing the country to focus on a cease-fire and halt of U.S. military aid to Gaza. New York police soldiers, called in at the urging of school authorities, arrested more than 100 student protesters, more inflaming conflicts.
Columbia’s president Minouche Shafik is being called to withdraw from both sides of the aisle, with some calling for her to do so while others accusing her of not doing enough.
Concerns about the safety of Jewish students were raised earlier this year as a result of a rumored call from a school priest for Jewish kids to gain home” as soon as possible” ahead of the start of the Jewish holiday of Easter on Monday. Eventually, the university announced that it would switch to hybrid studying for the rest of the semester.
The daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D- Minn. ), Isra Hirsi, was among those arrested last week. When asked on MSNBC if she thought the protests and camp had caused any unease, she replied that it had been a “very community-centered place.”
On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that his organization is coordinating with colleges and universities to alert them to risks on campus. He said the commission does not immediately track school demonstrations, but is providing , data to colleges as it becomes aware of probable threats.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This fabric may not be published, spread, altered, or redistributed.