Even before 7 October, support for Israel among American Jews – who constitute the world’s second largest Jewish population after Israel – was shifting. In response, apologists for the Israeli actions, spearheaded by a group known as StandWithUs, have targeted the campus protests, urging university authorities to crack down on the protests. Behind the swaddles, plywood boards read “10,600 lives slaughtered,” “4,412 children,” and “let Gaza live,” alongside images of Palestinian flags and olive trees. The group’s recommendations include requiring student identification cards at protests, monitoring university communication channels for “biased statements about Israel,” and investigating student groups for ties to Hamas. With memories of dictatorships and state-sponsored massacres still fresh in the region, these interventions are not easily forgotten.

Source: The Guardian November 20, 2023 21:08 UTC