RSS
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.
RSS
Palestinian Prime Minister Announces New Reform Package
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa holds his first cabinet meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank, April 2, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman/File Photo
Newly installed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa announced a package of reforms on Tuesday aimed at strengthening the Palestinian Authority (PA) amid increased global pressure for a revival of political dialogue with Israel.
Mustafa, appointed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas earlier this year, said his government would introduce measures to improve transparency and fight corruption, overhaul the justice system and security sectors and improve public sector efficiency.
In addition, he said the health and education system would be improved, public finances strengthened and economic reforms implemented.
The reform pledges largely match promises previously made by his predecessor Mohammed Shtayyeh, who announced his resignation in February as the PA looked to build support for an expanded role amid Israel’s war against the Islamist terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
The United States and other international partners have pressed the PA to implement sweeping reforms to restore confidence among Palestinians who have become deeply disillusioned with the body set up under the interim Oslo Peace Accords more than 30 years ago.
The urgency to make reforms has increased as attention has turned towards the governance of Gaza, once Israel winds up its military campaign against Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel led by fighters from the Islamist movement.
Despite resistance from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Washington and its allies say the PA must be involved in administering the enclave once Israeli troops pull out.
The United States and most Western countries say only a two-state solution, entailing an independent Palestinian state next to Israel, can offer the chance of a peaceful resolution to decades of conflict.
However, Abbas reacted angrily last week when Washington vetoed a Palestinian request for full United Nations membership, saying the PA would reconsider bilateral ties with the United States following the decision.
The PA has been grappling with a severe financial crisis which has left most public sector employees receiving only part of their normal salary for the past two years.
The crisis has worsened since the start of the war in Gaza as Israel has cut off some of the tax revenues it collects on the PA’s behalf, accusing the Authority of supporting Hamas.
The post Palestinian Prime Minister Announces New Reform Package first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
France: Man Suspected of Abducting, Raping Jewish Woman ‘to Avenge Palestine’
Illustrative. Star of David graffiti daubed on a Jewish-owned building in Paris. Photo: Reuters/Magali Cohen
i24 News – A man in a suburb of Paris is suspected of abducting and raping a Jewish woman, French media reported on Tuesday. The suspect reportedly said his acts represented a “vengeance for Palestine.”
The suspect is a resident of Gennevilliers, one of the immigrant-heavy suburbs of Paris. It is understood he was charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, rape and making death threats.
French media reported the suspect sent the victim’s mother messages saying he was going to “prostitute” her daughter. The police reportedly were able to geo-locate the victim’s phone and end her ordeal after several days.
The post France: Man Suspected of Abducting, Raping Jewish Woman ‘to Avenge Palestine’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
‘Completely Baseless’: Reports of Mass Graves at Gaza Hospitals are False, IDF Says
Smoke rises as displaced Palestinians take shelter at Al Shifa hospital, amid the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, Nov. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Doaa Rouqa
i24 News – Claims that IDF troops left mass graves on the territory of two Gaza hospitals, where they buried executed Palestinians, are merely the latest lurid fabrication to issue from Hamas, the Israeli military said on Saturday.
“The claim that the IDF buried Palestinian bodies is completely baseless,” the IDF says in response to a query on the matter.
Hamas falsely claimed they found bodies in mass graves at the Nasser and Al Shifa hospitals after the facilities was abandoned by Israeli troops, following counterterrorism operations.
The IDF said it exhumed a number of corpses buried by Palestinians on the grounds of the Nasser hospital in an effort to track hostages.
Earlier in the day Ravina Shamdasani, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the U.N. human rights office was working on corroborating Palestinian reports that 283 bodies were found at Nasser and 30 at Al Shifa.
The post ‘Completely Baseless’: Reports of Mass Graves at Gaza Hospitals are False, IDF Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login