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I Spoke Up for Israel at Michigan State University; And I Will Do So Again
I have always been shy. Until I started college, I was never confident in myself as a leader and definitely not willing to speak up, even regarding issues I am passionate about. In elementary school, I was too nervous to talk in class. I had many friends, all sensitive to how “I wasn’t ready yet” and on my path to finding my voice.
Today, I am proud to declare that I am a Zionist. I stand with Israel.
On October 19, a mere 12 days after Hamas brutally attacked and infiltrated Israel, murdering, raping, and kidnapping thousands of Israelis, the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) passed a resolution calling on Michigan State to “address the ongoing Palestinian crisis and support Palestinian students and all impacted students.”
The Arab Cultural Society (ACS), Muslim Student Association (MSA), Students United for Palestinian Rights (SUPR), Yemeni Student Association (YSA), Egyptian Student Association (ESA), Students Organize for Syria (SOS), and March for Our Lives (MFOL) introduced Bill 60-30.
While the title sounds empathetic, a strong one-sided bias is evident throughout the legislation.
The bill is plagued with misinformation. The authors state that “under International Law, the Palestinian people have the right to defend against colonialism and apartheid experienced in … Gaza and the West Bank … in which Israel still has control over.”
For one, Israel is not an apartheid state.
Israeli Arabs have the same legal rights as Jewish Israelis, serve in the Israeli parliament, hold successful careers, and are integrated into society. In comparison, an apartheid state imposes racial segregation under the law, which is not the case in Israel. Furthermore, Israelis are not colonialists as they are indigenous to the land. You cannot be a colonizer in the land where you are from.
It is also important to point out that Israel doesn’t control Gaza or the entire West Bank. Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip in 2005, and since then, no Jewish people have inhabited the territory. Gaza is fully controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas, and Area A of the West Bank, where the majority of Palestinians live, is governed by the Palestinian Authority.
The Michigan State bill makes the addition of Jewish students to the legislation seem like an afterthought, when it claims that “ASMSU will support Palestinian, Arab, Jewish, and allied people.”
It’s clear from this language that members of the Michigan State community are not equally represented through this bill.
On October 19, at the ASMSU General Assembly meeting, approximately 50 Jewish students and 70 Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students, along with their allies, attended to determine the fate of Bill 60-30.
Palestinian students and their allies were seated on the right and had tape over their mouths to demonstrate that their beliefs were being “silenced.” This was ironic considering that the bill gravely underrepresented Jewish students and included propaganda spread by pro-Palestinian students.
At one point, a student in support of the bill exclaimed, “this is genocide, this is apartheid, this is not political.” They presented these claims without any proof — as none could be offered.
I, too, agree this is not “political.” 1,200 Israelis were brutally murdered by Hamas, a terrorist organization that vows to murder Jews globally, and 240 innocent Israelis remain in their custody in Gaza.
The President of ASMSU claimed this critical fact was “not germane to the bill.”
Many students speaking in support of the anti-Israel bill also tried to equate the actions of Hamas with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a ludicrous comparison that has no basis in truth. It is a known fact that Hamas is a terrorist organization recognized as such by the United States, Canada, Australia, EU, and the United Kingdom.
The IDF is the world’s most moral army, going as far as to warn Gazan civilians exactly where they are attacking hours or even days beforehand. No other country does this.
Unfortunately, Israel is fighting against terrorists, who use innocent civilians as human shields. There is no realistic way to avoid casualties. Let’s be clear: collateral damage is not the same as intentionally targeting civilians, like what Hamas does.
The students on the Palestinian side detailed graphic statements of events not relevant to the discussion at hand, such as the murder of Wadea Al Fayoume, without any scrutiny from student government representatives.
How are details of the murder of a six-year-old in Chicago “germane” to a bill that demonizes the State of Israel?
I gave my public comment, and it was the most nerve-racking speech I ever gave, proving that I had indeed found my voice. My heart was racing as I identified myself as a Zionist, and immediately, the “other half” of the room responded by holding up Palestinian flags, pictures of Wadea Al Fayoume, and waving posters with horrible messages that I could not convince myself to read.
After speaking, I was too afraid to go out into the hallway to buy a bottle of water from the vending machine, concerned that I would be harassed for staying true to myself.
I never thought something like this would happen at my university.
Unfortunately, the General Assembly representatives responded to ACS’s intimidation tactics, and the anti-Israel students’ lies and chants. They passed bill 60-30. I do not feel represented by the students elected to represent me. It is evident that they only speak for those who yell the loudest lies and unabashedly target Jewish students.
Laela Saulson is a senior at Michigan State University.
The post I Spoke Up for Israel at Michigan State University; And I Will Do So Again first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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FBI Investigating ‘Targeted Terror Attack’ in Boulder, Colorado, Director Says
FILE PHOTO: FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Trump’s proposed budget request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday the agency was aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado.
While he did not provide further details, Patel said in a social media post: “Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”
According to CBS News, which cited witnesses at the scene, a suspect attacked people with Molotov cocktails who were participating in a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza.
The Boulder Police Department said it was responding to a report of an attack in the city involving several victims. It has not released further details but a press conference was expected at 4 p.m. Mountain Time (2200 GMT).
The attack comes just weeks after a Chicago-born man was arrested in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C. Someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.
The shooting fueled polarization in the United States over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
The post FBI Investigating ‘Targeted Terror Attack’ in Boulder, Colorado, Director Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Terrorist Responsible for Death of 21 Soldiers Eliminated
An Israeli F-35I “Adir” fighter jet. Photo: IDF
i24 News – Khalil Abd al-Nasser Mohammed Khatib, the terrorist who commanded the terrorist cell that killed 21 soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024, was killed by an Israeli airstrike, the IDF said on Sunday.
In a joint operation between the military and the Shin Bet security agency, the terrorist was spotted in a reconnaissance mission. The troops called up an aircraft to target him, and he was eliminated.
Khatib planned and took part in many other terrorist plots against Israeli soldiers.
i24NEWS’ Hebrew channel interviewed Dor Almog, the sole survivor of the mass casualty disaster, who was informed on live TV about the death of the commander responsible for the killing his brothers-in-arms.
“I was sure this day would come – I was a soldier and I know what happens at the end,” said Almog. “The IDF will do everything to bring back the abductees and to topple Hamas, to the last one man.”
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Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81
FILE PHOTO: Vice Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve System Stanley Fischer arrives to hear Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney delivering the Michel Camdessus Central Banking Lecture at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, U.S., September 18, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
Stanley Fischer, who helped shape modern economic theory during a career that included heading the Bank of Israel and serving as vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, has died at the age of 81.
The Bank of Israel said he died on Saturday night but did not give a cause of death. Fischer was born in Zambia and had dual US-Israeli citizenship.
As an academic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fischer trained many of the people who went on to be top central bankers, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as well as Mario Draghi, the former European Central Bank president.
Fischer served as chief economist at the World Bank, and first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund during the Asian financial crisis and was then vice chairman at Citigroup from 2002 to 2005.
During an eight-year stint as Israel’s central bank chief from 2005-2013, Fischer helped the country weather the 2008 global financial crisis with minimal economic damage, elevating Israel’s economy on the global stage, while creating a monetary policy committee to decide on interest rates like in other advanced economies.
He was vice chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2017 and served as a director at Bank Hapoalim in 2020 and 2021.
Current Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron praised Fischer’s contribution to the Bank of Israel and to advancing Israel’s economy as “truly significant.”
The soft-spoken Fischer – who played a role in Israel’s economic stabilization plan in 1985 during a period of hyperinflation – was chosen by then Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as central bank chief.
Netanyahu, now prime minister, called Fischer a “great Zionist” for leaving the United States and moving to Israel to take on the top job at Israel’s central bank.
“He was an outstanding economist. In the framework of his role as governor, he greatly contributed to the Israeli economy, especially to the return of stability during the global economic crisis,” Netanyahu said, adding that Stanley – as he was known in Israel – proudly represented Israel and its economy worldwide.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also paid tribute.
“He played a huge role in strengthening Israel’s economy, its remarkable resilience, and its strong reputation around the world,” Herzog said. “He was a world-class professional, a man of integrity, with a heart of gold. A true lover of peace.”
The post Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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