Anti-Israel responses since Oct. 7 “go way beyond the peaceful voicing of a political opinion,” Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt said.
(JNS)
The 2,087 anti-Israel incidents of assault, vandalism, harassment, protests and divestment resolutions that the Anti-Defamation League recorded on U.S. campuses between June 1 2023 and May 31 represent a 477% increase over the prior academic year, per a report the nonprofit released on Monday.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s CEO and national director, stated that the level of antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiment on campus in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks is unprecedented.
“Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the anti-Israel movement’s relentless harassment, vandalism, intimidations and violent physical assaults go way beyond the peaceful voicing of a political opinion,” he stated.
“Administrators and faculty need to do much better this year to ensure a safe and truly inclusive environment for all students, regardless of religion, nationality or political views,” he added. “They need to start now.”
The ADL report notes that campus activism frequently includes expressions of support for U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
“One emblematic incident occurred on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University, when protesters chanted, ‘Al-Qassam you make us proud, kill another soldier now!’” the report states, referring to a pro-Hamas chant.
“Activists also chanted ‘we are Hamas’ and ‘we will never let up and we will never let down until Palestine is free, Zionism is destroyed, and Zionists start to hide like the Nazis,’” it added.
The media and Congress have largely focused on anti-Israel protests at elite institutions like Columbia University, the ADL identified 1,418 protests in 46 states and the District of Columbia at some 360 schools.
That included more than 150 “encampment” protests with students attempting to occupy buildings or grounds.
The report also recorded 28 assaults, 201 incidents of vandalism, 360 incidents of harassment and 80 “boycott, divestment and sanctions” resolutions against Israel. Each of those categories saw a dramatic increase from the number of incidents the ADL recorded in the previous academic year.
Published on Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:29:39 -0400. Original article link
Image: Courtesy JNS article
