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A Voice of Sanity in the Campus Effort to Demonize Israel
Pro-Hamas demonstrators in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: Screenshot
The Association for Middle East and African Studies (ASMEA) held its 16th annual gathering from November 4-6 in Washington, DC, a few blocks from George Washington University’s campus. Interestingly, the first day of the conference coincided with the largest pro-Palestinian rally in history, taking place just a few blocks away.
ASMEA is an academic society dedicated to promoting the highest standards of research and teaching in Middle Eastern and African studies, and related fields. Professor Fouad Ajami and Professor Bernard Lewis created ASMEA in 2007 to respond to the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), which they believed had become increasingly “anti-Israel and anti-American.” However, most importantly, they desired an organization committed to protecting academic freedom and promoting the search for truth. This mission has proven to be all the more relevant given the spike in anti-Israel activity following the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, and the war it launched.
The group’s inaugural event, the Fouad Ajami Roundtable: Legacy and Memory, paid tribute to one of the organization’s founders. The gathering featured speakers who shared personal connections with Ajami or had deeply researched his work. These speakers, among them Ajami’s wife Michelle, delved into Ajami’s life journey, including his early trips to Israel. They also pondered how he might interpret contemporary events such as the Hamas/Israel conflict and the prevailing identity politics. Additionally, Michael Lewis, the son of founder Bernard Lewis, presented prizes in his father’s honor for outstanding papers on antisemitism.
The panel titled “Israel’s War with Hamas” was added to address the current conflict. Panelists presented in person and via Zoom from Israel, to discuss the factors that led to the current war. The panelists highlighted how Hamas has systematically used online platforms to demonize and dehumanize Jews, mainly targeting the younger generation. Hamas employed psychological warfare by stripping Jews and Israelis of their humanity as part of their tactics against Israel.
All of the panelists agreed that Israel must dismantle Hamas. Another panel delved into the prospects of the Saudi-Israel normalization talks, especially in the context of the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the future of the Palestinian people. While the opinions presented on the Saudi panel were undoubtedly not monolithic, there was a shared tepid optimism for the future of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The panel “BDS and the Occupation of Western Academia” unpacked the growing antisemitism on college campuses, mainly focusing on the rise of Hamas support among students, the marginalization of pro-Israel students, and the lack of response from campus administration.
Professor Walter Russell Mead delivered the timely and fascinating keynote address, “Israeli Policy and American Interest in the Middle East.” Students and scholars from all over the country attended, with participants from as far away as Hawaii, Korea, and Australia. Unfortunately, a significant Israeli delegation was absent from this year’s conference, but many attended and presented remotely via Zoom.
Despite their country being at war, the Israeli speakers confidently shared their research, making invaluable contributions to the panels they were a part of.
In contrast, just a few blocks away, pro-Palestinian protesters spread falsehoods during their supposed peaceful protest. Widespread calls were made during the protest for an end to the “occupation” and “apartheid” and accusations of “genocide,” alongside demands for a ceasefire.
The crowds could be heard chanting phrases like “From the River to the Sea” and “Long Live the Intifada.” Unfortunately and not surprisingly, there was no mention of the brutal massacre carried out by Hamas and the significant loss of Israeli lives.
All of the above demonstrates the need for groups like ASMEA that can understand the region for what it is, versus the perceived reality showcased on American college campuses and in the streets of Washington, DC.
Shira Weissbach is a seasoned Israel educator with an MA in Education and Human Development from George Washington University in the Field of Israel Education.
The post A Voice of Sanity in the Campus Effort to Demonize Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.