Hey man- thanks for behaving with integrity and standing up for truth. One more thing, you raise an important point. It’s academic fraud for faculty to use their lectern to advance political positions for the reasons that you mention. Firstly, will a student who has questions or disagrees get penalized for their position on a given issue? Secondly, if you’re teaching most subjects, the time you spend pushing your political views is time not spent teaching your area of expertise.
What is sad is that these impressionable students, very few of whom have any idea of the reality of the Middle East region but rely on what they hear from their peers or those in positions of “power” (real or imagined), have put their academic careers in jeopardy for a series of lies. Whether they can summon the inner strength to recognize that they have been played to service a malicious agenda or whether they double down to avoid such an internal reckoning remains to be seen.
While media complicity in pushing the false narratives deliberately put out by Hamas plays a part, as does the Biden Administration’s meek acceptance of Hamas casualty numbers and descriptions of IDF actions, that tide may slowly be turning. Recently, the U.N. admitted that the Gaza Health Ministry casualty numbers were wrong and lowered the civilian number by half. Of course, they claim “fog of war” to explain what any careful observer knew for several months to have been the case and this may be an attempt to regain some of its lost credibility.
But the bottom line is that there is no mass murder of civilians, nor is there any indication of “indiscriminate” bombings or anything approaching genocide. To the contrary, the reality is as some have long maintained, that the IDF has gone out of its way to protect civilians and has set a new bar of care in urban combat. Perhaps that is why even a politicized court such as the ICJ refused to find that either a genocide was committed or even was plausibly committed - if the IDF campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide then war itself becomes genocide and the term loses its narrowly defined meaning under international law.
The same applies to claims of “famine” which seems to be confused in the minds of the pro-Hamas crowd with food insecurity and malnutrition, both effects of conflict. Again, the IDF is in compliance with the Laws of Armed Conflict which specify that where there is a reasonable fear of diversion of supplies to civilian populations by the enemy combatants, the obligation ceases. There is no “reasonable fear” but it is an established fact that Hamas has been commandeering these supplies, yet Israel continues to feed Gazans to its own military detriment.
So, yes, from the safety of campus, certain faculty members indulge in playing at radical revolutionary and putting their pet theories into action. It is self-indulgent and, in this case, smacks of much they claim to abhor including a dreaded Orientalism bordering infantilizing condescension toward Palestinians. Were they to fight consistently for Palestinian rights regardless of the identity of the perpetrator, they might have some moral standing - but they haven’t, don’t and won’t as that is not their goal.
Perhaps the only good news is the confirmation of American common sense and goodness as revealed in poll after poll showing a solid support of Israel by huge majorities. They can see what’s going on and don’t like it one bit. The protesters are marginal but noisy and the professionals among them know how to play a media already primed to believe the worst from Israel. At Columbia, for instance, out of a student body of some 35,000, the student protesters amount to maybe 200.
From the get-go, it seemed to me that the war against Hamas was one of those “never let a good crisis go to waste” that some in the Biden Administration would use to finally get rid of Netanyahu. Now, it seems that they have so botched things that the latest poll in Israel shows Likud under Netanyahu with the most seats were an election held now. The most recent revelation that the US is prepared to share intel on Sinwar’s whereabouts in exchange for no Rafah incursion suggests that the US had this information all along and deliberately withheld it from Israel - how US policymakers thought this was a good idea boggles the mind. And one can only wonder what the Saudis make of US conduct toward its most important regional ally and whether any security agreement will be worth the paper it is written on if push were ever to come to shove.
I like the letter. How many students will read any of it, I don't know. I can wager that NONE of the pro hamas camp or encampments will read it. Because it is a " false narrative." as I heard on a Fox interview between the black journalist from Fox and a keffiyahed young woman. She'd been coached how to respond to any push back...it is all "false narrative." Jewish supremacy........how many times have I heard about Israel's "FAR RIGHT" government. The most extreme right wing gov't in Israeli history.....so to what degree of right is al Sisi....to what degree of the left is Assad? And hamas with its open genocidal policy....that must be the most far right extreme gov't in "Palestine" history. If I were still teaching HS kids and I heard this crap....how would I respond. I was told to keep my politics out of the classroom...I don't mean just me....I mean the principal cautioned everyone. What if I got that petition to sign.....I'd like to think I'd do what you did.
Hey man- thanks for behaving with integrity and standing up for truth. One more thing, you raise an important point. It’s academic fraud for faculty to use their lectern to advance political positions for the reasons that you mention. Firstly, will a student who has questions or disagrees get penalized for their position on a given issue? Secondly, if you’re teaching most subjects, the time you spend pushing your political views is time not spent teaching your area of expertise.
What is sad is that these impressionable students, very few of whom have any idea of the reality of the Middle East region but rely on what they hear from their peers or those in positions of “power” (real or imagined), have put their academic careers in jeopardy for a series of lies. Whether they can summon the inner strength to recognize that they have been played to service a malicious agenda or whether they double down to avoid such an internal reckoning remains to be seen.
While media complicity in pushing the false narratives deliberately put out by Hamas plays a part, as does the Biden Administration’s meek acceptance of Hamas casualty numbers and descriptions of IDF actions, that tide may slowly be turning. Recently, the U.N. admitted that the Gaza Health Ministry casualty numbers were wrong and lowered the civilian number by half. Of course, they claim “fog of war” to explain what any careful observer knew for several months to have been the case and this may be an attempt to regain some of its lost credibility.
But the bottom line is that there is no mass murder of civilians, nor is there any indication of “indiscriminate” bombings or anything approaching genocide. To the contrary, the reality is as some have long maintained, that the IDF has gone out of its way to protect civilians and has set a new bar of care in urban combat. Perhaps that is why even a politicized court such as the ICJ refused to find that either a genocide was committed or even was plausibly committed - if the IDF campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide then war itself becomes genocide and the term loses its narrowly defined meaning under international law.
The same applies to claims of “famine” which seems to be confused in the minds of the pro-Hamas crowd with food insecurity and malnutrition, both effects of conflict. Again, the IDF is in compliance with the Laws of Armed Conflict which specify that where there is a reasonable fear of diversion of supplies to civilian populations by the enemy combatants, the obligation ceases. There is no “reasonable fear” but it is an established fact that Hamas has been commandeering these supplies, yet Israel continues to feed Gazans to its own military detriment.
So, yes, from the safety of campus, certain faculty members indulge in playing at radical revolutionary and putting their pet theories into action. It is self-indulgent and, in this case, smacks of much they claim to abhor including a dreaded Orientalism bordering infantilizing condescension toward Palestinians. Were they to fight consistently for Palestinian rights regardless of the identity of the perpetrator, they might have some moral standing - but they haven’t, don’t and won’t as that is not their goal.
Perhaps the only good news is the confirmation of American common sense and goodness as revealed in poll after poll showing a solid support of Israel by huge majorities. They can see what’s going on and don’t like it one bit. The protesters are marginal but noisy and the professionals among them know how to play a media already primed to believe the worst from Israel. At Columbia, for instance, out of a student body of some 35,000, the student protesters amount to maybe 200.
From the get-go, it seemed to me that the war against Hamas was one of those “never let a good crisis go to waste” that some in the Biden Administration would use to finally get rid of Netanyahu. Now, it seems that they have so botched things that the latest poll in Israel shows Likud under Netanyahu with the most seats were an election held now. The most recent revelation that the US is prepared to share intel on Sinwar’s whereabouts in exchange for no Rafah incursion suggests that the US had this information all along and deliberately withheld it from Israel - how US policymakers thought this was a good idea boggles the mind. And one can only wonder what the Saudis make of US conduct toward its most important regional ally and whether any security agreement will be worth the paper it is written on if push were ever to come to shove.
IN the NY Times, millions displaced in MYanmar.....18 million "food insecurity" How does that compare to Gaza and the bleating hearts?
Good luck penetrating the minds of these deranged and spoiled brats!
I like the letter. How many students will read any of it, I don't know. I can wager that NONE of the pro hamas camp or encampments will read it. Because it is a " false narrative." as I heard on a Fox interview between the black journalist from Fox and a keffiyahed young woman. She'd been coached how to respond to any push back...it is all "false narrative." Jewish supremacy........how many times have I heard about Israel's "FAR RIGHT" government. The most extreme right wing gov't in Israeli history.....so to what degree of right is al Sisi....to what degree of the left is Assad? And hamas with its open genocidal policy....that must be the most far right extreme gov't in "Palestine" history. If I were still teaching HS kids and I heard this crap....how would I respond. I was told to keep my politics out of the classroom...I don't mean just me....I mean the principal cautioned everyone. What if I got that petition to sign.....I'd like to think I'd do what you did.
Excellent, thank you!
100%
Who else wrote about “Jewish Supremacy?” Former K K K Grand Dragon David Duke. It’s the title of one of his books.
Kudos for having the courage to stay sane and speak the truth.
I take it you have tenure. :)