In one of the all-time great movies, Casablanca, Captain Renault (Claude Rains) asks Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) why he came to Casablanca. Rick replays, “My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.” A puzzled Renault replies, “What waters? We are in the desert.” “I was misinformed,” quips Rick.
The remark would apply to today’s pro-Palestinian protesters. They are misinformed.
Protests on college campuses aren’t new, nor is protesting against war. Demonstrations were common on university campuses in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Students then rallied against the Vietnam War. Unlike today, most students then had a direct interest in the Vietnam War. Men were subject to getting drafted and possibly getting maimed or killed there. Very few Americans have a direct link to Gaza.
Many participants have joined the protests because c’est le dernier cri (it’s the latest fashion). It’s in vogue, trendy, hip, as Occupy Wall Street was a decade ago. It’s what sheep and the misinformed do.
Before they protest, the students and professional agitators should have to watch the video of the atrocities committed and recorded by Hamas terrorists against women and children on October 7.
Protesters should listen to some of the women who were held captive by Hamas talk about their experiences. Then, maybe instead of shouting anti-Semitic slogans, they will call for the release of hostages Hamas continues to hold.
Israel is now offering a six-week cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages. Hamas hasn’t accepted the offer yet. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is pushing Hamas to accept the deal, calling it “extraordinarily generous.” The protesters should demand Hamas accept the proposal.
After viewing what Hamas does to women and children, the pro-Palestinian protesters need a history lesson about “Palestine.” They can start with “The Ironic History of Palestine” by Alan H. Luxenberg.
Luxenberg writes: “Historically, there was never an independent country named Palestine. The historical record says that Palestine was never a country, and was rarely ever an intact entity. At most it was a geographic entity like Scandinavia but, even at that, it changed over time.” And wait until the students learn the name Palestine originates in the Jewish Bible!
The 1947 U.N. plan called for what we now call the “two-state solution.” It called for a Jewish state next to a Palestinian state. Arab nations wouldn’t accept a Jewish state and attacked Israel the day after it was declared an independent state. When the Arab countries attacked, Israel ended up with more territory.
In 1979, following the Camp David Accords, Egypt became the first Arab nation to recognize Israel. In exchange for peace and full diplomatic relations, Israel relinquished the entire Sinai Peninsula, which it gained control of during the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel has consistently given up territory in exchange for peace.
In 2020, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco recognized Israel. Saudi Arabia appeared ready to recognize Israel in 2023. Progress in those negotiations may have triggered Hamas’ attacks.
In 2000, at Camp David, Israel once again was willing to negotiate with people who had tried to destroy the country. Yassir Arafat had the opportunity to create a Palestinian state and obtain nearly all of his demands. The Palestinians would have received all of the Gaza Strip, 97 percent of the West Bank, and additional land, including East Jerusalem. Arafat turned down the opportunity. A Palestinian state does not exist because the Palestinians have refused to accept one next to a Jewish state.
Only Hamas and the Palestinians who support them want to commit genocide against the Jewish people.
The Hamas Charter is uncompromising regarding Israel and Jews. “Our struggle with the Jews is long and dangerous.” It calls for the obliteration of Israel to form an Islamic state. The charter is specific about fighting and killing the Jews.
The chant “From the River to the Sea” implicitly calls for the destruction of Israel through Jihad and the removal and annihilation of all Jewish people living there.
Israel is not interested in genocide. Israel does not have a goal of eliminating anybody except for the terrorist organization Hamas.
As Arab nations in the region have discovered, when they recognize Israel and leave its people alone, Israel is a peaceful neighbor. Only the Palestinians (with Iran’s help) continue to terrorize Israel.
Further, opinion research by the Arab World for Research and Development has consistently shown that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank support Hamas’s October 7 attacks against Israel. The majority also has a positive opinion of Hamas. By huge margins, Palestinians say their commitment to a Palestinian state has increased, but by similar margins, they believe achieving it through peaceful means has decreased. Although they are committed to a Palestinian state, they do not think that it can coexist with Israel. Polling demonstrates that the Palestinian people are culpable for their current situation.
The protesters are under the impression that the First Amendment gives them the right to do what they have been doing.
Again, they are misinformed.
Although the First Amendment is the covenant between the U.S. government and its citizens that permits repugnant, it is not without limits. While the Supreme Court has held that “hate speech” is protected, it has drawn a line. The Court’s test for unprotected speech is “imminent lawless action.” Obviously, this would include harm to others.
Protesters have the right to voice their opinions. They don’t have the right to close and deface buildings or even stop traffic.
From the beginning, the pro-Palestine protesters have threatened, harassed, harmed, injured, and murdered Jewish students and pro-Israel demonstrators on and off campuses.
National Review has compiled a list of the tragic, violent acts committed by these so-called peaceful protesters.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports incidents of anti-Semitism were up 337 percent in the two months following the October 7 attacks. Its recent study found:
- From 2022 to 2024, the average number of anti-Jewish tropes endorsed by Americans increased from 4.18 to 4.31
- More than 42 percent of Americans either have friends or family who dislike Jews (23.2 percent) or find it socially acceptable for a close family member to support Hamas (27.2 percent).
- Most shockingly, younger Americans (who are supposed to be more tolerant) are more likely to endorse anti-Jewish tropes, with millennials agreeing with the greatest number of anti-Jewish tropes on average, at 5.4. They’re followed by Gen Z at 5, Gen X at 4.2, and Baby Boomers at 3.1.
For those with doubts about what the protesters think and want, look for signs in the crowds like this one, posted by @zach_keseel on X. The “Final Solution” was Hitler’s answer to “the Jewish problem,” and resulted in the Holocaust and the death of over six million Jews. Pro-Israel protesters don’t carry signs calling for the death of Palestinians.
Protesters who say, “I am Hamas,” are confessing to being a terrorist. Imagine, in the months following 9/11, someone saying, “I am al-Qaeda.” They might have, rightfully, been arrested and sent to Guantanamo Bay.
Protesters saying, “I am Hamas,” should be arrested immediately and treated as terrorists. They shouldn’t be fingerprinted and released. They should be held as an al-Qaeda operative would be.
Protesters here on student visas should have them revoked immediately, followed by their expulsion from the United States.
What’s most shocking is that these failed institutions of learning, where wokeism was born, don’t tolerate this behavior toward any other group. As the disgraceful anti-Semitic behavior continues, they make false equivocations with Islamophobia.
There hasn’t been a group of pro-Israel protesters chasing Muslims into a library, taking over buildings on campus, or committing acts of violence.
The pro-Israel rallies and Jews in general don’t engage in the type of hateful behavior seen daily at the pro-Hamas rallies. Good luck finding a sign calling for the extermination of Palestinian people.
A more intriguing question is why this behavior is allowed against Jews. It would never be permitted if the victims were black, LGBT, or Muslim.
- In 2015, three students were expelled from Pennsylvania’s Bucknell University for racist language and comments on the school’s student-run radio station. One student used a derogatory term for black people; another stated that “black people should be dead,” and a third said: “Lynch ’em” during a broadcast on WVBU, Bucknell’s radio station.
- Members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity on the University of Oklahoma campus recorded a video of them singing a racist chant in 2015. It referenced lynching and stated that African Americans would never be allowed as members. The video went viral, resulting in the expulsion of two students. The fraternity house was closed, and the chapter was disbanded.
- A professor at Rutgers Law School faced backlash and was placed on administrative leave after using a racial slur during a virtual class session in 2020. The professor used the slur while discussing a legal case involving hate speech. The incident sparked outrage and led to calls for the professor’s termination. Rutgers University condemned the professor’s use of the slur and investigated the matter. Ultimately, the professor resigned from their position.
- In 2018, a Christian philosophy professor, Nicholas Meriwether, was reprimanded by Shawnee State University in Ohio for refusing to refer to a trans student as a woman. Meriwether called the student “sir” during a class. The university found he created a “hostile environment” for the student and issued corrective actions. Meriwether sued the university and eventually won $400,000.
- In 2018, Lake Ingle, a religious studies major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, was banned from a Christianity class on “self, sin, and salvation” after asserting that only two genders exist. His disagreement with the professor led to his removal from the class for eighteen days.
We can literally find an unlimited number of examples of how sensitive students are to remarks about racial minorities and LGBT persons. However, sensitivity ends when anti-Semitism begins. DEI stops at Judaism.
College is about learning, and the protesters currently on campuses across the country need education about Hamas and what they did that provoked Israel. They need to see firsthand what Hamas did on October 7 by viewing the atrocities that Hamas proudly recorded on video.
They must understand that Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip and West Bank support Hamas, thus creating the suffering they are experiencing.
The students must be as outraged about anti-Semitism as they are over misgendering somebody or any other racial slur.
They must understand that the First Amendment gives them the right to speak. It does not give them license to terrorize others.
The institutions being terrorized must not give in to student terrorists and professional agitators. The protesters need to be arrested and jailed – not released shortly after their arrests with no charges pressed.
For now, the most charitable explanation for their behavior is they were misinformed.
Andy Bloom is President of Andy Bloom Communications. He specializes in media training and political communications. He has programmed legendary stations including WIP, WPHT, WYSP/Philadelphia, KLSX, Los Angeles, and WCCO Minneapolis. He was Vice President of Programming for Emmis International, Greater Media Inc., and Coleman Research. Andy also served as communications director for Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio). He can be reached by email at andy@andybloom.com or you can follow him on Twitter at @AndyBloomCom.
Hamas is a genocidal death cult. Those among the protestors who chant “I am Hamas” are either ignorant of facts or complicit in all acts of terrorism committed by Hamas. Action should be taken accordingly.
Andy, I just read The Ironic History of Palestine by Alan H. Luxenberg from May 11, 2011. Thank you for that suggestion. I agree with about 85% of what you wrote in this article.
That part of the earth has played a prominent role in the ancient and modern history of the Middle East. The history of Palestine has been marked by frequent political conflict and violent land seizures. The region was later conquered by numerous empires, including the Babylonians, Persians and Romans. It first came under Muslim control when Jerusalem fell to the Rashidun Caliphate in 637. During the Crusades, Christian armies from Western Europe fought both Muslims and local Christian factions for control of their religions’ holy sites. Between 1517 and 1917, the Ottoman Empire—whose official religion was Islam—ruled the region. When World War I ended in 1918, the British took control of Palestine. The League of Nations issued a British mandate for Palestine—a document that gave Britain administrative control over the region and included provisions for establishing a Jewish national homeland in Palestine—which went into effect in 1923. The British didn’t hold moral authority. They held the best weapons and were able to exercise the most effective deadly force. Currently at least 135 United Nations member countries recognize Palestine as an independent state, but Israel and some other countries, including the United States, don’t make this distinction.
As a U.S. foreigner without any skin in the game other than the tax contributions to both Palestinians and Israel (the United States has provided both the Palestinians and Israel with billions and billions of taxes through USAID since 1994), it is easy to say that the acts of evil violence committed by Hamas on October 7th upon the Jewish victims were beyond horrible.
How was Hamas able to pull off such an evil terrorist attack? I read there were warnings beforehand, so am I “allowed” to ask? It reminds me of when Alex Jones literally warned about 9/11 attacks months before they happened, with a specificity to include airplanes and blaming Osama Bin Laden. I’ve seen people respond with ad hominem attacks to avoid answering this valid question. The Palestinian, Israeli, and U.S. leaders are either inept at protecting their constituents, wickedly corrupt, or both – and no one will ever get to the truth about it.
Btw, Occupy Wall Street largely resulted from public distrust in the elite leadership during the aftermath of the “Great Recession” in the United States when bank executives and politicians fleeced the average taxpayer to make themselves more than whole, even richer still. And it would be entertaining to watch all the far-Left ideology groups insult each other – criminal and physical acts of violence are vile – but it is actually U.S. enemies who are the ones laughing at our expense.
Let’s start here: Alex Jones did NOT make specific warnings about 9/11 beforehand. Earlier in 2001, he claimed the 1993 WTC bombing and the 1995 Oklahoma bombing of the Murrah Building were done by the government. He later tied those together into the 9/11 attacks. (For reference, most of my career has been spent in radio. I know what I’m talking about despite who says they heard it.)
The 9/11 Commission did find there were prior warnings of a potential large-scale terrorist attack on U.S. soil and missed opportunities to prevent the attacks. The Commission’s report highlighted the lack of inter-agency coordination and information sharing.
Early indications are that the Israeli defense and security officials also missed warning signs. Netanyahu has stated that an investigation will eventually take place.
I’m not sure where we disagree, but I’ll take a stab at it by asking questions. Where and when is this Palestine you speak of? Who was its president, prime minister, or King? What was its capital? What were its boundaries? If you read Mr. Luxenberg’s “Ironic History of Palestine,” you know there has never been an independent country called Palestine. “At most,” he writes, “it was a geographic entity like Scandinavia.”
You do make one good point. We are spending money on both Israel and the Palestinians. How much money do you think costs to build that barge to bring Palestinians supplies? In doing so we just prolong the inevitable. Israel isn’t going to stop until it destroys all of Hamas. This time, there is no stopping Israel.
As for U.S. enemies laughing at us. I hope they are laughing rather than plotting. But I will offer this thought. As I read comments on liberal websites, I see something I’ve never seen before: I see liberals who are at the very least ashamed and many who are claiming they are moving away – even if they are not ready to vote for Trump. I cannot recall ever seeing this phenomenon amongst libs before now.
I am reminded that during WWI (The Great War) the Ottoman government took the opportunity while fighting on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary to commit genocide on Christian Armenians in an effort to “cleanse” the Ottoman empire of “non-believers.” I think this acted as a template for the future in that the current areas of Israel and Gaza were part of the Ottoman empire. At the time, a large number of nations expressed outrage, but Germany and Austria-Hungary kept silent about the conduct of their Ottoman ally. Hitler, when in discussion with his cronies about what to do to eliminate Jews, was reminded of the Armenians and the public reaction supposedly replied (it was mid-nineteen – twenties) “Who remembers the Armenians?” signifying nobody really cares about the treatment of minorities on their doorstep if they are not personally impacted. Alexandr Solzhenitsyn said this best when he wrote: “What seems to be more important, more painful and more unendurable is really not what is more important, more painful and more unendurable, but merely that which is closer to home. Everything distant which for all its moans and muffled cries, its ruined lives and millions of victims, that does not threaten to come rolling up to our threshold today, we consider endurable and of tolerable dimensions.”