Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) members occupying an administrative building at Barnard College on Feb. 26, 2025. Photo: Screenshot

At universities like Columbia and Harvard, students are facing suspensions, arrests, and academic consequences following recent protests related to the war in Gaza. Some argue that this is an attack on free speech and student activism.

But the reality is different. Students are not being punished for supporting Palestinian rights. They are facing consequences because too many of these protests have crossed a critical line: openly supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre in Israel.

In America, free speech protects the right to criticize governments, advocate for Palestinian self-determination, and demand a ceasefire. These are legitimate and important political positions. They deserve protection.

However, there is a sharp distinction between peaceful advocacy and the glorification of violence. Many recent campus protests have included slogans like “Glory to the martyrs,” calls for “resistance by any means,” and imagery celebrating Hamas. That is not free speech in the traditional sense. It becomes a form of incitement — especially when Jewish students are threatened, harassed, or made to feel unsafe.

This is not a minor semantic issue. Words, symbols, and slogans matter. When demonstrators glorify violence, they create an environment that feels unsafe, particularly for students who belong to communities that have been targets of that violence. Universities have a responsibility to intervene when speech escalates into intimidation and fear.

There’s a reason why so many Jewish students report fearing for their safety. At Columbia, some were advised by university officials to evacuate dorms. Across several campuses, Jewish students have been harassed with slurs, physically blocked from buildings, and made to feel that they are personally responsible for an international conflict simply because of their identity.

Protesting is a right. Intimidating classmates and celebrating terror is not.

When universities respond to these actions — through arrests, suspensions, or disciplinary processes — they are not punishing a political viewpoint. They are enforcing long-standing rules about safety, campus operations, and harassment. Occupying academic buildings without permission, refusing lawful orders, and promoting violence violate university policies — no matter the cause.

This is about action, not opinion. Students are not facing discipline for holding unpopular views. They are facing discipline because of the way they have chosen to express those views: by violating campus rules, disrupting learning environments, and in some cases, advocating for violence against others.

No one is asking for the suppression of Palestinian voices. Students absolutely have the right to criticize Israeli policies, call for humanitarian aid, and advocate for a two-state solution. What they don’t have the right to do is glorify terrorist groups that target civilians.

It’s important to remember that Hamas is responsible for the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Elevating Hamas as a symbol of “resistance” erases the reality of the atrocities committed — including the mass murder of civilians, sexual violence, and hostage-taking. It sends a chilling message to Jewish students: your suffering doesn’t matter.

Moreover, supporting Hamas is not a matter of personal interpretation. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States government. Universities have a legal and moral obligation not to allow campus spaces to become platforms for the support of such groups.

Universities are obligated to protect all students, including Jewish students, from violence and intimidation. The moment political advocacy slips into supporting terrorism and hatred, consequences are not only appropriate — they are necessary.

If universities allow their campuses to become safe havens for the glorification of terror, they betray their core missions: to foster open inquiry, to safeguard every student, and to promote respectful dialogue — not to enable extremism. Support for Palestinian rights must not become a cover for glorifying terrorism. If we are serious about free speech, justice, and equality, then we must also be serious about drawing a clear moral line against violence.

Defending campuses as places of safety, dialogue, and learning for all students is not censorship. It’s a defense of the very democratic values these institutions are meant to uphold.

Dr. Daniel Beaudoin is a senior lecturer in political science and crisis management at Tel Aviv University, and the executive director of the European International Society for Military Ethics.

The post Universities Aren’t Cracking Down on ‘Anti-Israel’ Views; They Are Cracking Down on Supporting Terrorism and Harassing Students first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Tens of thousands of French people march in Paris to protest against antisemitism. Photo: Screenshot

A Jewish man wearing a kippah was brutally attacked and called a “dirty Jew” in France this week, as the country continues to face a rise in antisemitic incidents since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.

This latest antisemitic attack took place on Wednesday night in Anduze, a small town in southern France, where the 70-year-old Jewish man was brutally beaten by an intoxicated individual, French media reported.

The elderly man — wearing a kippah and tzitzit, fringes on Jewish religious garments worn underneath a shirt, was feeding stray cats on the street when a 40-year-old drunk man approached him and demanded money.

According to eyewitness statements, when the victim refused to give him money, the attacker punched and kicked him repeatedly while calling him a “dirty Jew.”

The town’s prosecutor, Abdelkrim Grini, confirmed that the antisemitic nature of the attack was “proven” in light of the events that took place, according to the French publication Entrevue.

The suspect, who had previously been arrested for theft, was taken into custody on Thursday morning and is facing charges of “violence and insults based on religious affiliation or non-affiliation.”

However, due to his intoxication, he could not be interrogated immediately and will be questioned once his condition permits.

France is home to the largest Jewish population after Israel and the United States, as well as the largest Muslim community in the European Union.

Antisemitism skyrocketed in France following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.

In March, Arie Engelberg, the rabbi of Orléans, was violently attacked while walking home with his nine-year-old son from the synagogue in the city, located south of Paris.

According to Engelberg, the attacker asked if he was Jewish, and when the rabbi replied yes, the assailant began hurling antisemitic insults, including “all Jews are sons of —,” and attempted to film him. The attacker then allegedly started punching Engelberg and bit him until several people stepped in to help.

French authorities arrested a 16-year-old teenager in connection with the antisemitic attack who was known under at least three identities – including one Moroccan and two Palestinian.

Antisemitism in France continued to surge to alarming levels across the country last year, with 1,570 incidents recorded, according to a report by the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) – the main representative body of French Jews.

The total number of antisemitic outrages in 2024 was a slight dip from 2023’s record total of 1,676, but it marked a striking increase from the 436 antisemitic acts recorded in 2022.

In late May and early June, antisemitic acts rose by more than 140 percent, far surpassing the weekly average of slightly more than 30 incidents.

The report also found that 65.2 percent of antisemitic acts last year targeted individuals, with more than 10 percent of these offenses involving physical violence.

One such incident occurred in June, when a 12-year-old Jewish girl was raped by three Muslim boys in a Paris suburb. The child told investigators that the assailants called her a “dirty Jew” and hurled other antisemitic comments at her during the attack.

The post Elderly Jewish Man Brutally Attacked, Called ‘Dirty Jew’ in Antisemitic Assault in Southern France first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Tair Haim. Photo: Yarden Rokach

Yemenite -Israeli solo artist Tair Haim, formerly from the sister trio A-WA, told The Algemeiner she aims to inspire hope with her new music amid turmoil in Israel and around the world, while also paying homage to her Yemenite heritage.

Haim, 41, – the oldest of three sisters – is releasing her first solo album this summer that is inspired by her paternal Yemenite history and personal life, as well as changes and challenges across the globe. The album is four years in the making and the songs include lyrics in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.

“My purpose is to bring hope. To connect the cultures. To say the peace will come with our women,” said the born and raised Israeli, who still lives in Israel with her family, including her 5- and 3-year-old sons. “Let’s remember the feminine energy. Let’s remember that we all have something in common. So, I feel like [the album] is even more relevant [now] than when I wrote it a few years ago … We need to go to a higher perspective and to dream of something better for us [and] even believe that we can create something new.”

“I care about putting hope in the world that is going through so much pain and chaos, with everything that we’re facing here in Israel and everywhere in the world today,” she added. “What the world needs now is more hope and love. And as a mother, from a mother’s perspective, I said I have to encourage people and generations to come that the world is going to a better place. So I decided to write about this, this salvation. To give hope … We’ve suffered enough from wars and male energy that is all about wars and hatred.”

Haim’s aspiration for positive change in the world comes at a time when Israel is facing renewed missile attacks from the Houthis, a Yemen-based, Iran-backed group that US President Donald Trump re-designated as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year, reversing a decision made by the Biden administration to remove them. For months, the Houthis have been relentlessly launching missiles and drones at Israel in support of the Hamas terrorist organization, which orchestrated the deadly massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas is also a US-designated terrorist group.

Haim and her two younger sisters entered the music scene in 2015 with their group A-WA (which is the Arabic word for “yes”). Their debut album was titled “Habib Galbi” (“Love of My Heart”) and the group’s next album was titled “Bayti Fi Rasi.” Haim told The Algemeiner that although she loved her time with A-WA, she wanted to release “more personal” music and “something new” as a solo artist.

The musician will also release a concept album this summer comprised of 10 songs. She remained tight-lipped about the name of the album and its exact release date, but said the songs are largely inspired by transformations in her personal life, especially her becoming a mother. One song in particular is a ballad about her labor experience. She sings about bringing new life into the world and compares it to working on new music and a new album. She jokingly told The Algemeiner, “Every good thing, every good idea should be cooking for a least nine months.”

Her upcoming album is also heavily inspired by “the changes and things that we are going through in the world, on a global scale.”

“In the album, I speak about what we’re going through now, and God is on our side, and that we’re going through major shifts and we will see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she explained. “I really care about putting out good vibes in the world, good messages that will create a better world for my kids and for the generations to come. And the world is going through a big transformation. I feel like the old patterns are falling apart, and something new is reborn.”

The first single from the as-of-yet untitled album is the catchy futuristic love song “YemeNight,” which was released in March. It’s a blended Yemenite Arabic and English upbeat track, and features lyrics from a traditional women’s Yemenite folk song about love that is passed down through generations. Haim’s grandmother used to sing it to her.

In the flirty song, Haim tells a “pretty boy” he is “so divine,” and that “love like this is hard to find. I got heaven on my mind. I can’t wait to call you mine.” She then calls on him to “fly high, from the city to the sky,” and to go on a ride on her “magic carpet,” which is a nod to 1959’s Operation Magic Carpet that brought Haim’s paternal grandparents to Israel from their home country of Yemen.

“There was a lot of chaos with the Muslims there, so they had to run away from Yemen and they were so happy to finally come to Israel. But it was very tough for them,” Haim said. “They didn’t have the language, they had to start over. They came with the Magic Carpet in a survival mode. And when I talk about the magic carpet in my song, I talk about it in a much more empowering vibe. I call my love to come with me. I have this magic carpet but it’s something that I choose … In the song I’m longing for freedom, for expanding my consciousness. I am calling my love to come with me to like a new world. The whole song has this dreamy atmosphere of something I want for the future. A better future.”

“Everyday is a holiday, every night is YemeNight,” Haim sings in the song’s chorus. She said the line has become her motto in life.

The post Yemenite-Israeli Singer Tair Haim Wants Her Upcoming Album to Inspire Hope, Peace, Love first appeared on Algemeiner.com.