Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib at Ithaca College

Last night, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian-American from Gaza who came to the United States in 2005, spoke at Ithaca College about "Radical Pragmatism" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ahmed is a leader of the new "Realign for Palestine" project at the Atlantic Council and spoke about his own history and his hopes and plans for how to move away from mutual dehumanization towards coexistence.

He wrote on Facebook:

Immense gratitude to Ithaca College, its students, the politics department, and its leadership for hosting me and a screening of the Realign For Palestine "Waging Peace" short film. Having difficult conversations, breaking the cycles of dehumanization, agreeing to disagree, and pursuing common ground is a desperate necessity to get past the frozen and toxic discourse on college campuses. It is most unfortunate and shameful that the exchange of basic ideas and engaging in respectful dialogue across our differences has become the exception, not the norm.

From the Realign for Palestine Facebook page:

“We can disagree, without being disagreeable.”

This week, Realign For Palestine visited the students at @ithacacollege, per the invitation of students and faculty. During the event, we screened a sneak peek of our new documentary film about the RFP initiative and the voices behind it.

@afalkhatib spoke and engaged with a diverse range of opinions and shared the principles and visions of the two-nation solution, the necessity of recognizing multiple truths, and engaging constructively, even in the challenging campus climate. Ithaca College showed that we can disagree without being disagreeable and that difficult conversations can and must be had while elevating mutual humanity and empathy for both Palestinians and Israelis. This is not Kumbaya; this is radical pragmatism, which Realign For Palestine champions, at work.

Ithaca College students from the Ithacans for Israel group, which brought Alkhatib, attended, as did members of the leadership of IC, including President La Jerne Terry Cornish, and people from the larger Ithaca community. I wish that the attendance had been larger, because the message that Ahmed Alkhatib and Realign for Palestine are bringing is important and should be heard by more people, both at Ithaca College and in the city of Ithaca. There are quite a few pro-Palestinian activists in Ithaca, but I don't hear Ahmed Alkhatib's message from them - no mention of a "two-nation" solution and very little acknowledgement of the humanity of Israelis, or of Jews (especially Zionist Jews) who want to work for peace between Palestinians and Israelis. (On Facebook yesterday a supposed Ithaca progressive used the slur "Zios" to refer to people who don't think that Israel should be destroyed).

More on Realign for Palestine:

The Realign For Palestine project at the Atlantic Council is led by Gazan-American Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. Launched in February 2025, the project is committed to challenging violent extremism, divisive narratives, and hatred by elevating common-sense approaches through policy and action. The project believes in promoting nonviolence and the two-nation solution as the only credible, humane path forward for peace between the Palestinian and Israeli people.

Shiri Bibas was not returned with the bodies of her two sons today

It seems there is no end to evil. 

This morning (between 9:00-10:00 am Israel time, between 2:00-3:00 am east coast US time, Hamas handed over four coffins to the International Committee of the Red Cross - supposedly containing the bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two sons, Kfir and Ariel, and Oded Lipfschitz. 

But this was not a quiet handover - no, Hamas put on a spectacle, placing the coffins on a stage with a grotesque caricature of Benjamin Netanyahu on a sheet behind them, and a masked Hamas terrorist giving a speech with music in the background. The crowd around the stage and the ICRC included armed terrorists with green headbands and civilians - children and women among the men. Some of them took photos or videos of the scene with their cellphones, as if this was a play or a movie.

I watched some of it on a livestream from several different news organizations, including Reuters and AP (I don't know whose cameras were actually there).

But it turns out that Shiri Bibas was not one of them. The IDF was not able to identify the body.

From the Times of Israel today, after Hamas returned four coffins to Israel this morning.

IDF: Remains of Kfir and Ariel Bibas ID’d, 3rd body sent by Hamas isn’t their mom Shiri

By Lazar Berman

The military informs the Bibas family that the bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas have been identified after their remains were given to Israel by Hamas on Thursday.

However, the third body at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute was not that of their mother, Shiri Bibas, says the Israel Defense Forces. Specialists at Abu Kabir were not able to identify the body.

The authorities, using forensic evidence and intelligence, assess that the two young boys were ‘”brutally murdered” by terrorists in November 2023, says the IDF. Ariel was 4-years-old and Kfir was 10-months-old when they were murdered.

“This is a very serious violation by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is required by the agreement to return four dead hostages,” says the IDF. “We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all of our hostages.”

“We share the deep sorrow of the Bibas family at this difficult time and will continue to make every effort to return Shiri and all the hostages home as soon as possible,” says the IDF.

Final Hanukkah message from President Biden

I'm sad that President Biden will be leaving office in a little more than three weeks, and not just because he will be replaced by Donald Trump. He has been so supportive of Jews and Israel since he became President - I very much appreciated his flying to Israel soon after October 7 to show his support. No other president has done that and I can't imagine Donald Trump (or, for that matter, Kamala Harris) expressing his concern in such a personal way. 

And as far as I know, he's the only president to send American troops to defend Israel (if I'm wrong, please let me know). Other presidents have certainly sent military aid, even the antisemitic Richard Nixon during the Yom Kippur War (for which I'm very thankful!). Just today US troops using the THAAD missile defense system shot down the Houthi missile that was launched at Israel (see previous blog post). 

This doesn't mean that he's always done the right thing with regard to Israel. I think he should have put much more pressure on Netanyahu about the Israeli conduct of the war in Gaza. The New York Times and other news sources have written about how Israel has loosened its rules of engagement in Gaza, resulting in a very high civilian death toll, and probably in some cases violating American rules for what we permit weapons we give or sell to other countries to be used for. 

I will certainly miss him for many other reasons. I think he's done a generally good job, and has emphasized the right actions, like industrial policy to rebuild American infrastructure (we finally have Infrastructure Week!) and foster making computer chips and other high tech manufacturing, and the many incentives to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

One of the things I've appreciated is his administration's outreach to the Jewish community. Obviously, other presidential administrations have done this, but his is the first one I've paid much attention to - especially reaching out with briefings in the wake of the October 7 attack and the Gaza war.

Others certainly disagree with me, and my purpose in writing this is not to persuade anyone, but simply to express my personal feelings.

December 27, 2024

Friends,

On the first night of Hanukkah, President Biden lit the official White House Menorah alongside his family. This menorah was made in 2022 from wood salvaged during the Truman-era renovation. The beam of wood sat in storage for 70 years — through 13 presidencies. Today, it shines as a symbol of resilience, honoring the enduring strength of the Jewish people.

At the White House Hanukkah reception, President Biden reflected on this strength: “I know it’s hard to find hope while carrying so much sorrow. But from my perspective, Jewish people have always embodied the duality of pain and joy.”

He also invoked the words of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z'l, whose teachings continue to inspire me personally, and I know so many around the world. “A people that can walk through a valley of shadow of death and still rejoice is a people that cannot be defeated by any force or fear.”
As we celebrate this season of light and miracles, President Biden offered his final Hanukkah message as President. "Hold onto that hope, shine your light, shine the light of optimism, and above all, keep the faith. Keep the faith.”

From all of us at the White House, Chag Hanukkah Sameach — wishing you a joyous and meaningful Hanukkah.

Shabbat Shalom,

Shelley Greenspan

Liaison to the American Jewish Community

Israeli Knesset outlawing UNRWA

I'm very troubled by the two laws that the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has just passed, to prevent UNRWA, the UN refugee agency for Palestinian refugees, from operating in Israel and putting it under severe restrictions in Gaza and the West Bank.

While it does seem that some employees of UNRWA are or were members of Hamas, and some took part in the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, does that mean that the entire organization is irrevocably tainted?

The professional leadership of UNRWA employed by the UN certainly does not belong to Hamas, and they are pointing out how disastrous the outlawing of the organization in Gaza will be, if it is indeed outlawed.

Who will take care of the people of Gaza if UNRWA is kicked out? Gaza is a heap of rubble now, and thousands of people have been killed. Where will food, medicine, and shelter come from, for the people of Gaza, if UNRWA is not there? There are some other relief agencies in Gaza, such as the World Central Kitchen, but UNRWA has been established in Gaza since the late 1940s and 1950s, and knows the needs of its people intimately. Unless Israel is prepared to take over all of its relief activities, I think it would be much better for Israel to work with UNRWA (as hard as that may be) than to destroy it.

My readers may not agree with me about the value of UNRWA (and I'm no expert on it), but I think that those of us who support Israel need to think seriously also about how to ensure that there is adequate food, clothing, and shelter for the people of Gaza.

This is a good Times of Israel article on the laws, including denunciations of the laws by the UN, the UK, and the United States, among other bodies.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-approves-laws-barring-unrwa-from-israel-limiting-it-in-gaza-and-west-bank/ 

Despite widespread international opposition, lawmakers voted overwhelming on Monday evening to approve two bills essentially barring the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants from operating in Israel, and severely curtailing its activities in Gaza and the West Bank.

During the opening plenum session of the Knesset’s winter legislative session, MKs voted 92 to 10 to approve a law barring UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, and 87-9 in favor of another measure curtailing UNRWA’s activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank by banning state authorities from having any contact with the agency.

Without coordination with Israel, it will be almost impossible for UNRWA to work in Gaza or the West Bank, since Jerusalem would no longer be issuing entrance permits to those territories or allowing coordination with the IDF. Israel also currently controls access to Gaza from Egypt, with Israeli forces deployed along the border between them.

UNRWA — short for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East — provides education, health care and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Responding to the “unprecedented” vote, UNRWA warned that the legislation “sets a dangerous precedent,” breaches the UN charter “and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.”

“These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell… and are nothing less than collective punishment.” the agency said in a statement.

“It’s outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a UN agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza,” Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for UNRWA, told AFP.

According to the Ynet news site, the Foreign Ministry had warned of the dangers of passing the UNRWA legislation, stating that Israel could be found in violation of the UN charter and be expelled.

Ahead of the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that passing the bills would be a “catastrophe,” while European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell stated that they “would have disastrous consequences.”

Immediately prior to the vote, the US made clear to Israel that it was deeply concerned by the legislation, with State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller telling reporters that humanitarian assistance was not getting to the people in Jabalia in northern Gaza, where the Israeli military has stepped up its campaign, and that Washington would not accept that.

A State Department spokesperson told The Times of Israel that the US was “deeply troubled” by the legislation, saying that it could force the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees to discontinue all of its operations in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also previously expressed concern over the bills, stating that the “enactment of such restrictions would devastate the Gaza humanitarian response” as well as the provision of “vital” services in East Jerusalem.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy expressed London’s “profound regret” over the legislation, stating that “the allegations against UNRWA staff earlier this year were fully investigated, and offer no justification for cutting off ties with UNRWA.”

Lammy added that banning the organization would not be in Israel’s “interests.”

In a seeming response to the international criticism, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was prepared to work with international partners, both in the 90 days before the legislation takes effect and afterward, to ensure that humanitarian aid would still reach Gazan civilians.

“UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable. Since avoiding a humanitarian crisis is also essential, sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement issued in English.

“In the 90 days before this legislation takes effect – and after – we stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security,” Netanyahu’s office said.

While Israel has worked to gradually limit UNRWA’s role in the delivery of humanitarian aid, in favor of the World Food Program, UNICEF and other agencies, UNRWA is still heavily involved in the Strip’s humanitarian operation, running shelters, clinics and warehouses.

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the security establishment and professional staff cautioned political leaders against passing the legislation in the middle of the war against Hamas in Gaza without a viable replacement in place.

While some Israeli political leaders recognized the humanitarian risk and the international backlash that would result, “the political cost of opposing the legislation became too significant to endure,” the official said, explaining that the IDF itself spent months building a campaign that ties UNRWA to Hamas.

The Knesset’s approval of the two bills in their second and third (final) readings came only days after UNRWA confirmed that a Hamas Nukbha commander killed in an Israeli strike, who led the killing and kidnapping of Israelis from a roadside bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re’im on October 7 last year, had been employed by the agency since July 2022.

Israel alleges that more than 10 percent of UNRWA’s staff in Gaza have ties to terrorist factions, and that educational facilities under the organization’s auspices consistently incite hatred of Israel and glorify terror.

In February, the IDF revealed the existence of a subterranean Hamas data center directly beneath UNRWA’s Gaza Strip headquarters. The IDF has also repeatedly targeted Hamas command centers and gunmen hiding out in UNRWA schools.

Israeli lawmakers celebrated the legislation’s passage on Monday evening. Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, the sponsor of the bill prohibiting UNRWA from operating within Israel, tweeted: “UNRWA terrorists, your story ends here; enemies have no right to exist in the State of Israel.”

“UNRWA will not operate in the territory of the State of Israel, their perks will be canceled, their entry into Israel will be prohibited, complete severance of ties,” exulted opposition Yisrael Beytenu MK Yulia Malinovsky, the sponsor of the second bill.

“That’s it, it’s over. UNRWA is out,” cheered Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, calling the bills’ passage an “historic and significant move for the security of the country” against terrorists operating “under the auspices of the United Nations.”

“UNRWA employed terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre and is educating young Palestinians about terrorism and hatred of Israel,” said Energy Minister Eli Cohen.

“Terrorists and supporters of terrorism have no place in the State of Israel,” argued Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf.

“I congratulate and thank the members of the Knesset from across the political spectrum for passing the laws that tonight put an end to the ongoing disgrace of cooperation with UNRWA,” said far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

“Whoever harms the security of the State of Israel, the State of Israel will harm him,” he added.

MK Benny Gantz’s centrist National Unity party also supported the legislation, and criticized Netanyahu for missing the votes against what it described as “an organization that was part of the Hamas apparatus and whose employees took part in the October 7 massacre.”

During a debate in the Knesset plenum ahead of the votes, Arab lawmakers railed against the laws, with Hadash-Ta’al MK Aida Touma-Sliman claiming Israel was carrying out “genocide” in Gaza.

“No Palestinian wants to be a refugee,” she yelled, adding that “the majority of Gazans are now refugees.”

Likud MK Tally Gotliv had to be physically restrained by Knesset ushers after approaching the podium during a speech by Hadash-Ta’al MK Ahmad Tibi, in which he railed against what he termed “fascist” legislation.

“The Palestinian people will be freed from the occupation,” Tibi screamed, as right-wing MKs called for him to leave the Knesset.

Israel had been extremely critical of UNRWA long before the Hamas invasion and slaughter in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, saying that its near uniqueness in the world — granting refugee status not just to the first generation of refugees but to their descendants — perpetuated the conflict and a culture of dependence among Palestinians.

At the same time, some Israeli politicians and officials saw the relief that the agency provided as a means of keeping the Gaza Strip, and parts of the West Bank, from deeper poverty and thus greater violence and terrorism.

Iran shot 180 ballistic missiles at Israel today - “Northern Arrows in northern Tel Aviv"

The Israeli artist Shoshke (Zeeve) Engelmayer posted this response to today’s attack from Iran.

The Israeli attack upon Lebanon has been named “Northern Arrows” by the Israeli army.

The caption for this picture reads:

“Northern Arrows.  Also in northern Tel Aviv."

Hezbollah retaliation against Israel seems to have started tonight

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah drone intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on August 25, 2024 (Jalaa Marty, AFP) 

Has the Hezbollah retaliation started? Some headlines tonight from Haaretz:

IDF Launches Wave of Lebanon Strikes as Israel Braces for Major Hezbollah Escalation

Haaretz
1 minute ago
Hezbollah: The launches are part of the response to the assassination of Fuad Shukr

Hezbollah announced that the launches to Israel's north are part of the response to Israel's attack on Beirut that led to the death of Fuad Shukar.
According to the announcement, Hezbollah began an air attack "deep in Zionist territory and towards a specific Israeli military target that will be announced later."
Hezbollah also announced that "the Islamic resistance in Lebanon now and at these moments is at the highest level of readiness and will stand firm and expect any offense or Zionist aggression, especially if civilians are harmed, the punishment will be severe and very harsh."

Haaretz
2 minutes ago
IDF: 150 rockets have been launched from Lebanon so far

Haaretz
6 minutes ago
Haifa municipality opens public bomb shelters across the city

Haaretz
7 minutes ago
Rocket sirens sound over Safed and surrounding towns

Haaretz
10 minutes ago
Israel Emergency Services: No information received of casualties in the north

Haaretz
13 minutes ago
Rocket sirens sound in Israel Golan Region

Rocket sirens sound in the northern Israeli city of Katzrin.

Haaretz
30 minutes ago
Rocket sirens sound over northern Israeli town of Acre and surrounding areas

Jonathan Lis
30 minutes ago
Israel's security cabinet expected to meet at in the coming hours

Haaretz
32 minutes ago
Rocket and hostile aircraft sirens sound non-stop across Israel's north

Haaretz
42 minutes ago
Hostile aircraft intrusion and rocket sirens sound across northern Israel

Adi Hashmonai
45 minutes ago
Tiberias Municipality calls on residents to stay near protected areas

Haaretz
46 minutes ago
Israel's Airport Authority: Air activity at Ben Gurion Airport will be suspended due to security situation

Fadi Amun
53 minutes ago
Wave of attacks reported in southern Lebanon
Lebanese media report a wave of attacks in various centers in Lebanon's south. According to reports, the IDF attacked Tayr Harfa, Deir Seryan, Beit Yahoun among others.

Yaniv Kubovich
1 hour ago
IDF: Hezbollah will launch rockets at Israel soon; striking proactively to remove the threat
The IDF reported that it detected preparations by Hezbollah to fire missiles into Israel and that Israeli fighter jets are proactively attacking to remove threats. According to the IDF's announcement, Hezbollah will launch rockets in the coming hours, and possibly missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, at Israel.

It was also reported that later, instructions will be distributed in some regions of the country, and the public is asked to follow the instructions on the of the IDF Spokesperson's platforms as well as the Home Front Command.

Haaretz
2 hours ago
Rocket sirens sound in Israel's Upper Galilee
Rocket siren's sounded in the northern Israeli towns of Dovev, Baram and Ein Yaakov.

Remembering and Mourning October 7

I'm feeling really nervous about what will happen on October 7 this fall. I don't think I'm worried that there will be another Hamas attack on that day (I hope I'm right about that!), but about what the reactions will be outside of Israel, in the US and other countries.

Will there be horrible rallies by groups like Within Our Lifetime celebrating the attack? Will the pro-Palestine groups at my college decide to hold rallies on that day to hijack the mourning that Jews and Israelis will feel on that day?

October 7 is on a Monday this year, and I have to teach that day, which I'm apprehensive about.

My mother died on October 21, 1981 (which also happened to be Simchat Torah, 23 Tishrei). I observe her yahrzeit on the Hebrew date, and in 1982, starting in August, I began to feel really depressed again because I was remembering how she had become more and more sick. She went to the hospital and then came back home for hospice.

I don't have the same anticipatory mourning for her that starts in August any longer, but I can already start to feel apprehensive of how I'll feel on October 7.

Continuing impact of the Israel-Hamas war on American college campuses

The new semester is due to start in just a week, and in addition to the usual anxieties about beginning classes (getting my syllabi finished, figuring out what the assignments should be, thinking about the effects of AI on my students' learning and writing....), I'm also worried about the continuing impact of the Israel-Hamas war on the campus atmosphere and experience. One of the two (at least) pro-Palestinian groups at my college has just announced on their Instagram page that they're back, "stand[ing] alongside over 300 chapters at colleges and universities across the country fighting for Palestinian liberation." Based on what they wrote on social media and said at various protests in the last academic year, their vision for Palestinian liberation leaves no room for the continued existence of the state of Israel, which makes me wonder what they think will happen to the seven million Jewish citizens of Israel if their vision is fulfilled.

While the pro-Palestinian groups at my college tried to disrupt accepted students' day activities in the spring semester, held a few meetings and a public rally, their activities paled in comparison to what happened at many other universities across the US. 

Three Jewish students at UCLA sued the university because, they contend, it did not protect their right to freely move on campus and engage in activities like going to the library to study. In the spring semester, pro-Palestinian students set up encampments that they refused to let Jewish students pass through on their way to the library and other places. The Jewish students claim that they would have had to renounce their support for Israel in order to be able to pass. 

The New York Times article on the suit gives these details on how the Jewish students were treated:

The complaint against U.C.L.A., filed by Yitzchok Frankel, Joshua Ghayoum and Eden Shemuelian, detailed what the students experienced during the spring protests. Calling the encampment and the surrounding area “the Jew Exclusion Zone,” the complaint said students were often asked if they were Zionist and were denied passage for wearing a Star of David necklace. The complaint also described Mr. Ghayoum being denied entrance to a building because he was not wearing a red wristband, which demonstrators handed out to identify students they allowed in.

David Lat, who writes the Substack newsletter "Original Jurisdiction" reports today that Judge Mark Scarsi's preliminary injunction (issued on August 13), "prohibits the university 'from knowingly allowing or facilitating the exclusion of Jewish students from ordinarily available portions of UCLA’s programs, activities, and campus areas.'" 

This is the first paragraph of the decision:

In the year 2024, in the United States of America, in the State of California, in the City of Los Angeles, Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith. This fact is so unimaginable and so abhorrent to our constitutional guarantee of religious freedom that it bears repeating, Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith. UCLA does not dispute this. Instead, UCLA claims that it has no responsibility to protect the religious freedom of its Jewish students because the exclusion was engineered by third-party protesters. But under constitutional principles, UCLA may not allow services to some students when UCLA knows that other students are excluded on religious grounds, regardless of who engineered the exclusion. 

The whole decision is available here: Judge Scarsi's decision

Lat continues:

Considering the circumstances described by Judge Scarsi, you’d think that UCLA wouldn’t have fought this. But apparently it did, with a university spokesperson telling the New York Times that the injunction “is improper and would hamstring our ability to respond to events on the ground”—because UCLA needs the freedom to knowingly allow or facilitate the exclusion of Jewish students from parts of campus.

CUNY Jewish Law Students Association - supporters of the Hamas attack upon Israel on October 7, 2023

The Jewish Law Students Association at CUNY issued a viciously anti-Israel statement only three days after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. (If you would like to read it yourself, go to the Twitter account for the group and download it, or check this link: CUNY JLSA statement). It reads like so many of the other anti-Israel statements rushed out immediately after the attack, especially the one signed by thirty student groups at Harvard that blamed Israel for the Hamas attack upon it. Although the JLSA statement doesn't mention Hamas explicitly, it implies support for them. This is how the statement begins, with a pious reference to the Jewish New Year:

In this season of renewal and self-reflection, and as we begin the year 5784, the Jewish students at the CUNY School of Law wish to express our uncompromising solidarity with the Palestinian people in their righteous struggle for self-determination. This feeling is accompanied by a profound sense of grief over the lives that have been lost. We are steadfast in our belief that Zionism – as a political ideology predicated on theft and destruction – serves to imperil both Jews and Palestinians, even though its proponents only target the latter. 

The only possible reference to the Israelis killed on October 7 is the sentence that mentions "the lives that have been lost," but of course "Zionism" is at fault for the deaths of those Israelis.

Later on, the statement denounces the CUNY administration in these words: "Since no form of Palestinian resistance is ever justified in the eyes of Zionists, it is no surprise that CUNY’s administration has once again chosen to malign student-organizers who are demanding an end to Israel’s illegal occupation."

Who is it that the administration "maligned"? The link in the original statement goes to an announcement by the Chancellor of CUNY, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez:

October 9, 2023

“CUNY is devastated by the scope of death and destruction in Israel, still being assessed in the aftermath of Saturday’s violent attacks by Hamas militants. The University is putting in place counseling and related supports to our impacted students, faculty and staff. We are especially concerned about members of our community who have families, colleagues and friends in the Middle East.

“We want to be clear that we don’t condone the activities of any internal organizations that are sponsoring rallies to celebrate or support Hamas’ cowardly actions. Such efforts do not in any way represent the University and its campuses.”

The CUNY administration accurately portrays the rallies that were held immediately after the attack upon Israel as "celebrating or supporting" Hamas' actions, something which is anathema to the JLSA, which appears to think that attacking civilians is a valid form of "righteous struggle for self-determination."  

This is confirmed by a statement on their Twitter account that was posted on October 7:

For more information and links, see article from the Algemeiner, published on October 12, 2023: New York ‘Jewish’ Student Group Condemns Israel, Stands With Palestinian ‘Resistance’.

Magdi Jacobs on the Hamas sexual violence on October 7, 2023

Magdi Jacobs on Twitter, on the massive NYTimes report ("'Screams Without Words': How Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence on Oct. 7") on the rape of women by Hamas on October 7, December 29, 2023 (link to her thread: https://twitter.com/magi_jay/status/1740815012271149478).

The @nytimes just published the most comprehensive report on the sexual violence of 10/7 that I have seen. It confirms what many have already suspected: that sexual violence against Israeli civilians did not only occur, but was used as a method of war.

Before I continue: This conversation is not about Israeli's military strategy/goals. Or its history. This is a conversation about an event that will have historical ramifications. It is not a conversation about justification, past or present. It is only a conversation about truth.

 Hand-to-hand combat against civilians is a rare kind of "first strike" in warfare. 

Something that has gotten terribly elided--if we care about history or truth--has been the overall nature of the attack by Hamas on 10/7. It was an attack where the primary victims were civilians. Hand-to-hand combat against civilians is a rare kind of "first strike" in warfare.

The swift violence of such an event. . . it is not something seen frequently outside the context of genocide  

This attack also happened very quickly, something people don't seem to have noticed. In the space of a few hours, over a thousand people were butchered. The swift violence of such an event. . .it is not something seen frequently outside the context of genocide.

It is important to sit with all of this--the true nature of 10/7--b/c so much truth has being lost, here. 10/7 was one of the most brutal--and swiftest--attacks on civilians in our modern history. Now, within this context, we must consider the sexual violence that was committed.

The primary question since 10/7 has not been whether or not sexual violence occurred, but whether sexual violence was used as a method of war. The preponderance of evidence has long weighed in favor of the latter. The Times' article makes it even clearer.

Every indicator is that the violence was systematic  

When determining whether sexual violence has been used as a method of war, investigators will look at the scale & scope: was the violence limited to one area & one group of men or was it much broader in its scope? The answer is: every indicator is that the violence was systematic.

The Times interviewed witnesses and reviewed visual evidence--photo and video--from at least 7 sites on 10/7. This entails that Hamas militants, in the space of a few hours, are alleged to have committed several *separate* acts of sexual violence across multiple sites.

This single fact would be of great interest to the International Criminal Court or to other bodies interested in war crimes. Several militants committing assaults across several different sites in a short time entails some level of planning/permission to engage in sexual violence.

To believe otherwise would entail asserting that, within the space of 6-12 hours, different men came to music festival, to a military base, & then to different kibbutzim & other sites & decided, independently of one another, to commit these crimes against women.

Trigger warning: I am trying to not be graphic, but here I do have to give some detail: Both genital mutilation & gang rape are alleged to have occurred at different sites. Different weapons were used for the mutilation. There are also accounts of broken bones across sites.

I'm not a war crimes investigator or expert in international humanitarian law. But, broadly speaking, this is how people answer the Q: "was sexual violence used as a method of war?" Was there planning? Was it systematic? Are only the soldiers culpable or are others culpable too?

I have many thoughts on this story and our reaction to it, but I am taking a break now. I encourage everyone to be faithful to the truth first & foremost. No justice has ever come from denying the truth.

 

The last paragraphs of the New York Times article are on the children of Gal Abdush, who was raped and murdered by Hamas terrorists, and her husband Nagi, also murdered by Hamas.

The couple had been together since they were teenagers. To the family, it seems only yesterday that Mr. Abdush was heading off to work to fix water heaters, a bag of tools slung over his shoulder, and Ms. Abdush was cooking up mashed potatoes and schnitzel for their two sons, Eliav, 10, and Refael, 7.

The boys are now orphans. They were sleeping over at an aunt’s the night their parents were killed. Ms. Abdush’s mother and father have applied for permanent custody, and everyone is chipping in to help.

Night after night, Ms. Abdush’s mother, Eti Bracha, lies in bed with the boys until they drift off. A few weeks ago, she said she tried to quietly leave their bedroom when the younger boy stopped her.

“Grandma,” he said, “I want to ask you a question.”

“Honey,” she said, “you can ask anything.”

“Grandma, how did mom die?”

Pro-Palestinian group "Within Our Lifetime" supported the Hamas attack from the beginning on October 7, 2023

 

On October 7, 2023, the very day of the Hamas attack on Israel, the pro-Palestinian group "Within our Lifetime" posted this statement on their Instagram page, and it's still there: "By any means necessary. With no exceptions and no fine print." From the very beginning they supported murder, rape, torture, and kidnapping of Israeli and foreign civilians. I hadn't realized how vile this group was. 

And they're planning another rally for tomorrow in New York City, with a slogan that echoes the name that Hamas gave to their terrorist attack - "Flood New York for Palestine." One of the cosponsors is "Jews Against White Supremacy" - in this case a more accurate name might be "Jews against Jewish existence."

They are calling to "end all attacks on our people." Well, if their heroes, Hamas, had not attacked Israel on October 7, Israeli soldiers would have remained on the Israeli side of the border, and there would be no Israeli planes bombing Gaza. (This is not an endorsement of the Israeli tactics in Gaza, which have now killed over 21,000 people, most of them civilians just as innocent as the people murdered by Hamas).

On October 7, this is what "Jews Against White Supremacy" posted on Instagram:

According to them, the Hamas terrorist attack was "decolonisation in action."

The Hamas attack was "Land Back" and decolonisation in action. 

No, it was rape, murder, torture, and kidnapping in action. 

And then, three days later, on October 10, they post that "There are absolutely devastating scenes in Gaza right now as Israel is annihilating the Palestinian people." And they supported, and continued to support, the Hamas attack on Israel, they urged "by any means necessary" from their safe places in the US, Canada, and other western countries - knowing that they would not suffer from the utterly devastating Israeli attacks on Gaza. When will it occur to them that the unconscionable course of action they supported and still support would do nothing but lead to death and destruction? This is "performative activism" at its worst.

Was the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians "exhilarating"?

Professor Russell Rickford of Cornell speaking on Sunday, October 15 at a rally in downtown Ithaca about the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians the week before.

From the Cornell Daily Sun report on his speech:

Rickford stated that he was initially “exhilarated” by Hamas’s attack on Israel, in which 1,400 Israelis were killed. The United States and the European Union classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.

“Hamas has challenged the monopoly of violence. And in those first few hours, even as horrific acts were being carried out, many of which we would not learn about until later, there are many Gazans of good will, many Palestinians of conscience, who abhor violence, as do you, as do I. Who abhor the targeting of civilians, as do you, as do I,” Rickford said during the rally. “Who were able to breathe, they were able to breathe for the first time in years. It was exhilarating. It was energizing. And if they weren’t exhilarated by this challenge to the monopoly of violence, by this shifting of the balance of power, then they would not be human. I was exhilarated.”

He added: “What has Hamas done? Hamas has shifted the balance of power. Hamas has punctured the illusion of invincibility. That’s what they have done. You don’t have to be a Hamas supporter to recognize that,” Rickford said. “Hamas has changed the terms of the debate. Israeli officials are right — nothing will be the same again.”

This is sickening. I have heard Rickford speak at demonstrations in Ithaca in the last few years, and regardless of the reason for the demonstration, he always obsessively ties Israel to whatever evil the demonstration is protesting.

On Friday night, October 6, I was about to fall asleep at about midnight when I noticed an alert on my phone about an attack in Israel. I was surprised and went to my computer, and stayed up for several hours listening to the coverage on the Israeli network Kann, reading tweets and postings on Facebook. It was clear very early that the Hamas terrorists were attacking civilians. We didn't learn of all the attacks immediately, of course, but if you wanted to know, you could find information. 

The Cornell president issued a good statement:

In a University statement sent around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, President Martha Pollack referred broadly to faculty who have spoken positively about Hamas.

“I am sickened by statements glorifying the evilness of Hamas terrorism. Any members of our community who have made such statements do not speak for Cornell; in fact, they speak in direct opposition to all we stand for at Cornell,” Pollack said. “There is no justification for or moral equivalent to these violent and abhorrent acts.”

 This is her full statement:

Supporting one another as we stand against hatred (Follow up on events in Israel)
Oct. 16, 2023

Dear Cornell Community,

The despicable atrocities perpetrated by the Hamas terrorist organization in Israel last week left the world reeling with shock, horror, anger and grief. The brutal attacks shattered countless innocent lives, caused unimaginable pain and challenged our very understanding of humanity. The intentional targeting and killing of innocent civilians is the very definition of terrorism. I am sickened by statements glorifying the evilness of Hamas terrorism. Any members of our community who have made such statements do not speak for Cornell; in fact, they speak in direct opposition to all we stand for at Cornell. There is no justification for or moral equivalent to these violent and abhorrent acts.

I am outraged by them and, along with senior leadership of the Cornell Board of Trustees, I again condemn them in the strongest possible terms.

The Cornell community on our campuses and around the world includes students, faculty, staff and alumni who are Israeli, Palestinian and others who have close ties to the region. As the fighting there continues, the pain and suffering felt by all people throughout the region is and will be completely heart-wrenching. I am a grandmother and I weep for the Israeli babies who were murdered or kidnapped; I weep for the Palestinian babies now in harm’s way.

Please know that the safety of all members of our community remains a top priority. On the Ithaca campus, Cornell Police have increased patrols and police presence and are working with the Office of Emergency Management and with city, state and federal agencies to continually assess conditions. They are also in close coordination with the public safety teams on our campuses in New York City and beyond.

Our community must, as it always has, stand against hatred of all forms. I am inspired by our Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim students who were joined by others in holding peaceful vigils last week and who were generous in their expression of shared loss for all in the region. I hope that the Cornell community is able to find grace, care and empathy for one another, and to support one another in the very difficult days ahead.

As we reflect on the pain of all those affected, and mourn the loss of innocent lives, I pray for the safe return of all hostages, and that our collective humanity will prevail over hate.

Sincerely,

Martha E. Pollack
President

 Update - Denunciation of Rickford's words by the president of Cornell.

Statement of President Pollack and Board Chair Kayser on Prof. Russell Rickford comments
Oct. 17, 2023

We learned yesterday of comments that Professor Russell Rickford made over the weekend at an off-campus rally where he described the Hamas terrorist attacks as “exhilarating.” This is a reprehensible comment that demonstrates no regard whatsoever for humanity. As we said in yesterday’s statement, endorsed by senior leadership of the Board of Trustees, any members of our community who have made such statements do not speak for Cornell; in fact, they speak in direct opposition to all we stand for at Cornell. The university is taking this incident seriously and is currently reviewing it consistent with our procedures.

Martha E. Pollack

President

Kraig H. Kayser, MBA ’84
Chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees

 Update, October 19 - statement from Rickford in the Cornell Daily Sun

I apologize for the horrible choice of words that I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to stress grassroots African American, Jewish and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression. I recognize that some of the language I used was reprehensible and did not reflect my values. As I said in the speech, I abhor violence and the violent targeting of civilians. I am sorry for the pain that my reckless remarks have caused my family, my students, my colleagues and many others in this time of suffering. As a scholar, a teacher, an activist and a father, I strive to uphold the values of human dignity, peace and justice. I want to make it clear that I unequivocally oppose and denounce racism, anti-semitism, Islamophobia, militarism, fundamentalism and all systems that dehumanize, divide and oppress people.

Update, October 22 - Rickford has taken a leave of absence for the rest of the semester (report from the Cornell Review).

History Professor Russell Rickford, who has come under fire for calling the Hamas attacks in Israel “exhilarating” and “energizing,” has taken a leave of absence.

According to an email acquired by the Review, Rickford will not teach his survey course on post-civil war African American history for the remainder of the semester. A Friday email from Professor Tamika Nunley to the class’ students indicates that she will teach the class while Rickford is on leave:

Professor Rickford will be taking a leave of absence and I will assume teaching responsibilities for this course for the remainder of the semester.

Cornell Media Relations confirmed Rickford’s leave, saying: “Professor Russell Rickford has requested and received approval to take a leave of absence from the university.” The Cornell history department, when asked for comment about Rickford’s status, only referred to the university’s statement condemning the professor....

Rickford’s – seemingly temporary – departure comes amidst immense pressure on the university to dismiss him for his comments....

Meanwhile, the university has issued a statement denouncing Rickford by name after issuing a general statement condemning those who “glorify the evilness of Hamas terrorism.”....

Neither Cornell nor the history department have indicated whether Rickford will face further action upon his return from leave.

This story has been updated with Cornell’s confirmation that Rickford requested the leave of absence.

Israelis fighting for democracy - the 21st week of protests

I've been in Israel since Friday, May 19th, and on Saturday night after Shabbat I went with friend to the pro-democracy rally in front of the President's house (בית הנשיא). I went again this past Saturday night. During that rally some people were carrying Palestinian flags, and after the rally was over, the police moved in and wrested them from their hands. It's not illegal to fly the Palestinian flag in Israel, but the police had clearly been ordered to take them. (One of the most right-wing cabinet ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is in charge of the national security ministry, and thus the Israel Police).

 Some photos from both rallies:

"There's no democracy with occupation"

The sign starts with "Before they took the Palestinian flags...."

"From the Jordan to the (Mediterranean) Sea, equality for all"

One of the distinctive features of these demonstrations is that the protestors carry Israeli flags.

From the demonstration on May 20: several people at the front of the march were wearing giant dinosaur costumes and carrying signs that read: "Save human rights from extinction"

Israel - a post-democratic state?

How should Diaspora Jews react to the new Israeli government? Some of the most important figures in the incoming government are indicted (Netanyahu) or convicted criminals (Deri, Ben Gvir). This coalition is the most right-wing in Israel's history, and there are still more hateful characters who will be in important ministries. 

Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be prime minister, is on trial on a series of corruption charges. His wife, Sara Netanyahu, was "convicted in 2019 of misusing public funds and in 2016 for abusing public servants." Aryeh Deri, the head of the Sephardi Haredi party, Shas, was in prison for two years on bribery charges. Recently, "In a plea deal signed in January, 2022, he admitted to defrauding the state by reporting to tax authorities a falsely undervalued estimation of a Jerusalem property he sold to his brother." This makes him ineligible to be a minister in the government. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a convicted felon and Kahanist, leader of the Jewish Power party, will be the national security minister, in charge of the police, the fire service, and the Border Police.

From Noga Tarnopolsky in the Daily Beast, on the incoming Israeli government:

Netanyahu’s legal troubles have manacled him. Most leaders of Israeli political parties refuse to sit in government with an indicted criminal. The parties willing to help him form a majority coalition out of the Knesset’s 120 seats are those who believe they have no other avenue to power: the ultra-orthodox Jewish religious parties and an agglomeration of previously marginal extremist groups who have until now been rebuffed by Israel’s mainstream.

The deal offered by Netanyahu goes something like this: his partners will back a slate of “judicial reforms” that will effectively dismantle Israel’s judiciary, and Netanyahu, in turn, will reward them with real power.

This is the political jam which has brought Israel to the cusp of saluting Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich, 42, a self-described “proud homophobe” and a segregationist who believes Jews and Arabs should not have to mingle, who aspires to impose the “the law of the Bible,” and who evaded his own military service.

Israel’s incoming justice minister has not yet been named, but neither Smotrich nor Ben Gvir are expected to be warmly received—or welcomed at all—by their cohorts among Israel’s closest allies.

Deri is rumored to covet the finance ministry, in which he'd impose upon fellow citizens the same taxes he was recently convicted of evading.

As things stand, he cannot legally be made any sort of minister. In a plea deal signed in January, 2022, he admitted to defrauding the state by reporting to tax authorities a falsely undervalued estimation of a Jerusalem property he sold to his brother. 

His appointment is certain to be challenged in court, where he is expected to lose. He has a simple answer: “The public knew everything there was to know about Netanyahu, me and the entire bloc, yet we received a large majority and the public expects us to govern,” he said on Israeli radio. So I hope they [the Supreme Court] will not interfere with this matter.”

But if it does, he warned, “it will be the government's first test of governance.”

Netanyahu, in fact, cannot form the barebones skeleton of his new government without overriding the supreme court. Without Deri or the extremists, he has no majority. With no majority, his trial proceeds ahead. The plan, according to numerous Israeli media outlets, is for the Likud, Netanyahu’s party, to install a new Knesset speaker by next week. Then they would rush legislation imposing an override act, followed by a new law permitting a minister to serve even if he is on probation from jail, as Deri is. Thanks to the override act, the supreme court would not be able to declare the new law illegal.

Israel could cease to have an independent judiciary in a matter of days– a transformation driven by indicted and convicted political criminals.

Anti-Zionism in women's and gender studies departments and programs

"The national effort to organize an entire academic discipline around anti-Zionism represents a new and dangerous phase in the politicization of academe, argues Cary Nelson."

Excellent op-ed in Inside Higher Ed by Cary Nelson on an extreme anti-Israel statement signed by more than a hundred women's and gender studies departments and programs.

On May 21, the day after a ceasefire was announced in the latest war between Gaza and Israel, a coalition of women’s and gender studies departments and programs made it clear that, for their part, the war of words, at least, will not stop. More than 100 such academic programs signed a statement condemning Israel’s “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza, thereby endorsing the accusation that Israel’s conduct constitutes a war crime. Academic freedom protects the right individual faculty have to take aggressive political stands. But departments and programs speak for the institution. A department’s adoption of a controversial political stance has implications for all who work with that department.

The statement in question, “Gender Studies Departments in Solidarity With Palestinian Feminist Collective,” is far from the generic, anodyne calls for decency, sensitivity or basic fairness that university bodies often issue. On the contrary, it uses incendiary rhetoric not just to support the rights of Palestinians but also to condemn Israel by taking sides in the political struggle: “We do not subscribe to a ‘both sides’ rhetoric that erases the military, economic, media, and global power that Israel has over Palestine.” The statement characterizes the current war as part of an ethnic cleansing program that began in 1947, thereby condemning Israel’s whole history. By declaring “we call for the end of Israel’s military occupation of Palestine and for the Palestinian right to return to their homes,” they make clear that their attack on “settler colonialism” applies not just to the West Bank but to Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries as well. “This is not a ‘conflict’ that is too ‘controversial and complex’ to assess,” it concludes.

Read the whole op-ed in Inside Higher Ed.

Cats at the Hebrew University

The academic boycott of Israel affects American students

John Cheney-Lippold, an associate professor Department of American Culture of the University of Michigan, refused to write a letter of recommendation for a student to study abroad in Israel. He initially had said he would write it for her, but when he realized she wanted to go to Israel he withdrew his offer. The BDS movement is opposed to study abroad programs in Israel. These are the guidelines from the PACBI website:

Study abroad schemes in Israel for international students.  These programs are usually housed at Israeli universities and are part of the Israeli propaganda effort, designed to give international students a “positive experience” of Israel, whitewashing its occupation and denial of Palestinian rights.  Publicity and recruitment for these schemes through students’ affairs offices or academic departments (such as Middle East and international studies centers) at universities abroad should come to an end.

Guideline 10 requires faculty supporting the academic boycott not to write recommendations for students who want to study in Israel:

Furthermore, international faculty should not accept to write recommendations for students hoping to pursue studies in Israel, as this facilitates the violation of guideline 11 below. 

This is guideline 11:

International students enrolling in or international faculty teaching or conducting research at degree or non-degree programs at an Israeli institution. If conducting research at Israeli facilities such as archives does not entail official affiliation with those facilities (e.g. in the form of a visiting position), then the activity is not subject to boycott. 

I've had a visiting research position at Hebrew University (in 2012), so I guess I've violated the academic boycott - proudly, I must say.

The University of Michigan Board of Trustees has rejected the academic boycott of Israel:

Six of the eight members of the board signed the letter, and criticized BDS as an assault on the institution’s values. 

“Our university has long been a community that seeks to study and improve the human condition through our research and scholarship,” the statement said. “We work together to better understand the most complex challenges we face on campus and beyond. We do this work through active engagement in the world around us. To boycott, divest or sanction Israel offends these bedrock values of our great university.”

The day after the student received the note from Cheney-Lippold, she wrote to the president of the University of Michigan:

“I firmly believe that any student’s abroad experience should not be impacted or dictated by any professor’s personal political beliefs,” they wrote. “I feel that his response is very disturbing, as he is allowing his personal beliefs (and apparently those of ‘many university departments’) to interfere with my dreams of studying abroad.” 

“All I asked for was an academic recommendation regarding my work habits, diligence, and aptitude as a student,” they continued.

They called this stance “unconscionable and hypocritical, as presumably he would have no problem in issuing a letter of recommendation” to students who seek to study abroad in “totalitarian” countries and territories as part of a formal U-M program, namely “China, Cuba, Russia, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories.” 

The student pointed out that Cheney-Lippold’s rejection did not appear to stem from any objection to their work ethic or other characteristics, but rather “his own political views.” 

The student further suggested that Cheney-Lippold’s conduct appears to be in violation of a 2017 statement by U-M’s Board of Regents rejecting the BDS campaign, as well as Public Acts 526 and 527, which were signed into law in Michigan in 2016. The bipartisan bills, similar to others that have been passed in nearly two dozen states, bar state agencies from contracting with an individual who is engaged in “the boycott of a person based in or doing business with a strategic partner,” namely Israel.

Will the university do anything to assist this student, perhaps by making sure that another professor write her a recommendation to study in Israel?

This is the university's official response thus far:

Rick Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for the University of Michigan, told The Algemeiner on Monday that the school “has consistently opposed any boycott of Israeli institutions of higher education.” 

“No academic department or any other unit at the University of Michigan has taken a position that departs from this long-held university position,” he confirmed. 

“The academic goals of our students are of paramount importance. It is the university’s position to take all steps necessary to make sure our students are supported,” Fitzgerald continued. “It is disappointing that a faculty member would allow their personal political beliefs to limit the support they are willing to otherwise provide for our students.” 

He said the school will engage its faculty colleagues “in deep discussions to clarify how the expression of our shared values plays out in support of all students.”

The Department of American Culture at the university says about itself that it is "the top American studies department in the world." What was the department's stance toward the ASA (American Studies Association) endorsement of the academic boycott in 2013? Do they support it? Have other professors in the department also refused to write recommendations for students who wish to study in Israel?

This is the continuation of the web statement: "Our students and faculty are uniquely committed to social justice and the highest standards of scholarship. We are proud, too, to be home to ethnic studies programs at Michigan: Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies, Arab and Muslim American Studies, Latina|o Studies, and Native American Studies." Jewish American Studies is nowhere to be seen in this list of programs, which is common - Jewish Studies is commonly excluded from participating in ethnic studies and/or multicultural studies.

One wonders if this "commitment" and being "home to ethnic studies" has led to the department's alignment with the BDS movement.

Thus, contrary to the claim of the BDS movement and its advocates, the academic boycott *does* have an effect upon individuals, not just institutions, including this undergraduate whose professor should have put his political commitments aside and just written her the recommendation.