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Columbus Day Is a Reminder of the Anti-Israel Double Standard
Ancient ostrich eggs found near a fire pit in Israel’s Negev Desert. Photo: Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
On Columbus Day, the United States commemorates the European explorer’s “discovery” of America. But American history did not begin with Columbus.
Instead, our history traces back to the late 10th century, when Vikings first colonized Greenland. Yet today, while Greenland’s right to self-determination is readily affirmed, the Jewish people’s profound, ancient, and continuous connection to the Holy Land is all too frequently denied.
It’s a glaring double standard.
The received wisdom among leading archeologists and historians is that the Thule Inuit population in Greenland migrated to the region in the 13th century. By the early 15th century, the Norse Viking colony collapsed, along with its religious culture. The Norse thus faded into historical memory, while the Inuit presence endured.
In 1721, Denmark re-colonized Greenland, which today remains a semi-autonomous territory within its kingdom. But while the Inuit history at Greenland dates back roughly 800 years, the Jewish people have maintained a continuous presence in the Land of Israel for approximately 3,000 years — a fact incontrovertibly demonstrated by an overwhelming abundance of archaeological and historical evidence.
Greenlandic self-determination and the rights of the Inuit are not disputed, and have only been further bolstered in recent years.
In August 2019, when President Trump expressed interest in purchasing Greenland and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted, “We’re open for business, not for sale,” the retort received widespread support from the international community. This past January, Trump reaffirmed his desire to make Greenland part of the US, and during his speech to a joint session of Congress in March, he struck a softer tone in a message to the Greenlandic people: “We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
Once again, political leaders in Greenland, Denmark, and the European Union roundly rejected US interference, and Copenhagen recently summoned the American envoy following reports of a covert US intelligence operation on the island. Greenland and Denmark can reject the Trump administration’s overtures precisely because the prevailing sentiment emphasizes that only Greenlanders have the right to choose between independence, maintaining the status quo, or joining another sovereign nation.
Israel, however, enjoys no such worldwide consensus.
Anti-Zionists constantly challenge the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Jewish people’s ancestral homeland. On campuses and in other arenas, Zionism is routinely disparaged as a “settler-colonial,” “racist,” and “ethnocultural nationalist” movement, ignoring the reality of Jewish indigeneity to the land of Israel.
In reality, Zionism stands as a remarkable example of decolonization, in which an oppressed and exiled people returned to their ancestral homeland, revivified their ancient language, and built a vibrant democracy.
As Israel’s Declaration of Independence puts it, “This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State.” The Greenlanders hold this right, too; Jews deserve the same.
Much as Greenlandic self-determination is rightly affirmed, so too must the legitimacy of Israeli sovereignty.
On Columbus Day it’s appropriate to demand that the same standard of historical recognition and political legitimacy be applied to both the Inuit and Israeli peoples, from the frozen fjords of Nuuk to the sun-soaked sands of the Negev.
Yisroel Benporat serves as the Senior Associate for Faculty Engagement in New York at the Academic Engagement Network. He holds a PhD in early American history from CUNY Graduate Center.
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Herzog Says Wellbeing of Israelis His Only Concern in Deal With Netanyahu’s ‘Extraordinary’ Pardon Request
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a press conference with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga, Latvia, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
i24 News – In an interview with Politico published on Saturday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog remained tight-lipped on whether he intended to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “extraordinary” pardon request, saying that his decision will be motivated by what’s best for Israel.
“There is a process which goes through the Justice Ministry and my legal adviser and so on. This is certainly an extraordinary request and above all when dealing with it I will consider what is the best interest of the Israeli people,” Herzog said. “The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority.”
Asked specifically about President Donald Trump’s request, Herzog said “I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion,” adding, “Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country.”
Herzog addressed a wide range of topics in the interview, including the US-Israel ties and the shifts in public opinion on Israel.
“One has to remember that the fountains of America, of American life, are based on biblical values, just like ours. And therefore, I believe that the underlying fountain that we all drink from is the same,” he said. “However, I am following very closely the trends that I see in the American public eye and the attitude, especially of young people, on Israel.”
“It comes from TikTok,” he said of the torrent of hostility toward Israel that has engulf swathes of U.S. opinion since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, “from a very shallow discourse of the current situation, pictures or viewpoints, and doesn’t judge from the big picture, which is, is Israel a strategic ally? Yes. Is Israel contributing to American national interests, security interests? Absolutely yes. Is Israel a beacon of democracy in the Middle East? Absolutely yes.”
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Syria’s Sharaa Charges Israel ‘Exports Its Crises to Other Countries’
FILE PHOTO: Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday escalated his messaging against Israel at the Doha forum.
“Israel is working to export its own crises to other countries and escape accountability for the massacres it committed in the Gaza Strip, justifying everything with security concerns,” he said.
“Meanwhile, Syria, since its liberation, has sent positive messages aimed at establishing the foundations of regional stability.
“Israel has responded to Syria with extreme violence, launching over 1,000 airstrikes and carrying out 400 incursions into its territory. The latest of these attacks was the massacre it perpetrated in the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside, which claimed dozens of lives.
“We are working with influential countries worldwide to pressure Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied after December 8, 2014, and all countries support this demand.
“Syria insists on Israel’s adherence to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. The demand for a demilitarized zone raises many questions. Who will protect this zone if there is no Syrian army presence?
“Any agreement must guarantee Syria’s interests, as it is Syria that is subjected to Israeli attacks. So, who should be demanding a buffer zone and withdrawal?”
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Turkey’s Fidan: Gaza Governance Must Precede Hamas Disarmament in Ceasefire Deal
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, May 27, 2025. Photo: Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Saturday that not advancing the US-backed Gaza ceasefire plan to its next stage would be a “huge failure” for the world and Washington, noting that President Donald Trump had personally led the push.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, Fidan said a credible Palestinian civil administration and a vetted, trained police force needed to be in place to allow Hamas to disarm, and that the group was prepared to hand over control of the enclave.
“First of all, we need to see that the Palestinian committee of technical people are taking over the administration of Gaza, then we need to see that the police force is being formed to police Gaza – again, by the Palestinians, not Hamas.”
NATO member Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s assault on Gaza. It played a key role in brokering the ceasefire deal, signing the agreement as a guarantor. It has repeatedly expressed its willingness to join efforts to monitor the accord’s implementation, a move Israel strongly opposes.
Talks to advance the next phase of President Trump’s plan to end the two-year conflict in Gaza are continuing.
The plan envisages an interim technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave, overseen by an international “board of peace” and supported by a multinational security force. Negotiations over the composition and mandate of that force have proven particularly difficult.
Fidan said the Gaza police force would be backed by the international stabilisation force. He added that Washington was pressing Israel over Turkey’s bid to join the force, to which it has voiced readiness to deploy troops if needed.
FIDAN SAYS KURDISH SDF IN SYRIA NOT WILLING TO INTEGRATE
Asked about a landmark deal in March in which the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and Damascus agreed that the SDF would be integrated into Syria’s state structures, Fidan said signals from the SDF showed it had “no intention” of honouring the accord, and was instead seeking to sidestep it.
Ankara, which considers the SDF a terrorist organisation, has threatened military action if it does not comply, setting a deadline of the end of the year.
“I think they (SDF) should understand that the command and control should come from one place,” Fidan added. “There can be no two armies in any given country. So there can only be one army, one command structure … But in local administration, they can reach a different settlement and different understandings.”
Almost a year after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad, Fidan said some issues of minority rights were unresolved, insisting that Turkey’s backing of the new Syrian government was not a “blank cheque” to oppress any groups.
He said Damascus was taking steps toward national unity, but that Israeli “destabilisation policies” were the chief obstacle.
Israel has frequently struck southwestern Syria this year, citing threats from militant groups and the need to protect the Druze community near the frontier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he expected Syria to establish a demilitarised buffer zone from Damascus to the border.
TURKEY: U.S. COULD REMOVE SANCTIONS ‘VERY SOON’
Fidan also said Washington’s initial 28-point plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war was just a “starting point,” and that it was now evolving in a new format. He said mediation by US officials was “on the right path.”
“I just hope that nobody leaves the table and the Americans are not frustrated, because sometimes the mediators can be frustrated if they don’t see enough encouragement from both sides.”
Asked about efforts to lift US sanctions imposed in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems, he said both sides were working on it, adding: “I believe we’ll soon find a way to remove that obstacle.”