Palestinian flags wave wildly in the air. Students hiding their faces call for divestment from Israel, and accuse the Jewish State and the McGill administration of genocide.

Chalk graffiti boasts that “zionism=facism.” Somewhere on the bright green grass, a person has laid what looks like a bloodied sheet down, and placed disfigured dolls on top. It is August 29th, and this is the first walkout at McGill during the 2024 school year.

Despite the large number of students donning keffiyehs and enthusiastically joining in chants about “freeing Palestine from the River to the Sea,” many are unknowingly calling for the death of the Jews and the total destruction of Israel.

With so much anti-Israel disinformation out there, this doesn’t come as a surprise.

A good number of these “anti-Israel” followers have been attracted by infographics featuring watered-down information and gory photos, calls for intersectionality and the ability to save humanity, and the horrible number of civil deaths in Gaza.

Their social media feeds are flooded with anti-Israel and anti-Jewish accounts. Blindly accepting surface-level information provided on social media and being swept up in the excitement of mob-like chants at protests has led them to a new kind of dangerous ignorance.

McGill’s Palestinian human rights club “informs” students in their classrooms that “McGill funds genocide instead of paying their teacher assistants” (McGill’s TAs are paid the lowest wage out of the top 10 Canadian schools and went on strike last spring); and students walk through the Rodik gates every night to see the sign stating “McGill  University: leader in funding genocide.”

Charges against Israel bombard students in every corner of their lives. So, why not join the protests, repost on Instagram, and stylishly tie a keffiyeh around their purses and necks?

No critical analysis skills are employed. The adopted narrative is thoughtlessly accepted — regardless of the facts that heavily suggest otherwise — and students mindlessly accept that the conflict in the Middle East is black and white.

There are so many people who too easily accept the false claim that Israel is evil and needs to be dismantled, and that Palestinian resistance by any means is justified.

Setting aside the massive amounts of cognitive dissonance that must collectively occur in a movement that justifies the rape of innocent civilians and blinds itself to the horrors that terrorist organizations cruelly inflict upon their citizens, there is another significant problem with this movement’s growing presence at McGill.

Universities are meant to instill critical thinking skills — teaching their students how to engage with one another and the media they consume so that they may form their own opinions responsibly.

Yet, almost no college students at McGill or elsewhere engage critically with Israel — and McGill is happy to let them buy into the propaganda being spouted on campus, in classrooms, and even by faculty.

Our students do not take the time to understand the history of the region — what a genocide or apartheid actually is (and how it’s not even possible in Israel), or how Judaism and Zionism are intricately intertwined.

If students performed research on Judaism, Zionism, and the history of Israel and its regional conflicts to balance out their one-sided views, they would find that not only are virtually all specific issues misrepresented, but there is also an abundance of nuance in the conflict. Many “progressive” students would learn that the Gaza society they are championing outlaws homosexuality, oppresses all free speech and dissent, and calls for the murder of every Jew — inside and outside Israel.

When we say the Amidah (a traditional Jewish prayer), we face the remains of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. During Passover, when we celebrate and remember the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, we conclude our seder with “Next year in Jerusalem,” a tradition that the seder at the McGill encampment seemed to conveniently ignore.

This article is not a request for my peers to instantly reject what they believe and take every piece of information I’ve provided in this article at face value.

Rather, this is a call for students to engage in critical thinking and investigate the validity of every claim they encounter. As it stands, our campus has devolved into an ignorant atmosphere — primarily governed by mob rule, creating an environment where students feel afraid to identify as Jewish publicly and share beliefs openly.

Blindly following the crowd may give my peers a sense of security, peace of mind, and moral superiority — but it comes at a steep cost that undermines the mission of higher education and creates a noxious environment on campuses across the world.

Maris Brail is a sophomore at McGill University, pursuing a Joint Honours degree in Jewish Studies and philosophy. As an active member of McGill’s Hillel and Students Supporting Israel executive boards, Maris is committed to fostering a space where Jewish life and advocacy can thrive. She is also a  CAMERA on Campus Fellow, dedicated to promoting accurate and fair representations of Israel in academic and media discourse.

The post I’m a Student at McGill University; This Is How Bad Things Are on My Campus first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

The February 2025 visit to Israel by Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis, during which he met with his counterpart Gideon Sa’ar, confirmed the healthy state of bilateral relations between Greece and Israel.

In the most recent UN General Assembly vote of December 19, 2024, when countries were asked to support the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on Israel’s alleged obligations to assist the Palestinians, Greece opted to abstain. (The other EU member states to abstain on this vote were Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia. Czechia and Hungary voted against, while all other EU member states voted in favor, including Cyprus.)

Generally speaking, Greece’s stance during the Israel-Hamas war was rather balanced at the UN level — especially after the initial stage of the conflict, during which it displayed a clear pro-Israel attitude.

On September 18, 2024, for instance, Greece supported the UN General Assembly resolution demanding that Israel end its “unlawful presence” in Palestinian territories. (On that vote, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden abstained, whereas Czechia and Hungary voted against.)

Then, on December 12, Greece backed two UN General Assembly resolutions demanding a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, as well as affirming full support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). (No EU member state voted against this resolution, but Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, and the Netherlands abstained.)

Throughout 2024, Greece supported Israel’s right to self-defense and condemned Iranian attacks against the Jewish State.

At the same time, Athens focused on the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and advocated for a two-state solution. Against this backdrop, Greece welcomed both the Israel-Lebanon and the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreements. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2025-2026 period, Greece has expressed its determination to act as a “bridge-builder” by leveraging both its strategic partnership with Israel and its historical friendship with the Palestinians and the Arab world.

Regional turmoil in 2024 did not prevent Israel and Greece from elevating their cooperation. The countries started talks to develop a $2.11 billion anti-aircraft and missile defense system similar to Iron Dome in Greece, and Greece is reportedly also planning to buy PULS rocket launchers made by Israeli company Elbit.

Beyond possible arm deals, the two sides signed an agreement to enhance synergies in the energy sector in December 2024. Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen has confirmed Jerusalem’s interest in taking part in the Great Sea Interconnector, a project comprising two underwater electrical cable segments, from Israel to Cyprus and from Cyprus to Greece. This project remains ambitious and expensive, however, with several question marks regarding its practicality.

In the economic sphere, prospects are bright. Trade between the two countries recorded a 41.3% increase in 2024 in comparison to 2023, and volume grew from $920 million to $1.3 billion. In 2024, Israeli exports to Greece totaled $353.4 million, including chemicals (41%), basic metals (25%), plastic products (10%), and electrical machinery (8%). Imports reached $902.8 million, comprising basic metals (42.2%), electrical machinery (15.7%), and chemicals (6.8%). In January 2025, an Israeli trade delegation visited Athens to further reinforce this trend. The delegation was hosted by Israeli Ambassador to Greece Noam Katz, and included the presidents of the Israel’s Manufacturers’Association and Export Institute.

A possible return to normalcy in the Middle East — difficult as that will be to achieve — would certainly function as a springboard for Israeli-Greek ties in 2025. Tourism flows could gradually go back to pre-October 7 levels. (In times of crisis in 2024, European airlines such as Aegean cancelled flights to Israel for days or weeks at a time.)

Talking to George Gerapetritis a few days ago in Jerusalem, Gideon Sa’ar mentioned that the current security situation could allow the return of athletic events to Israel. During the Israel-Hamas war, Israeli teams were not allowed to play their home games in Israel, but had to play them abroad. The Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team, for instance, is still playing its home games in Belgrade. Perhaps Athens should have offered hospitality to the Israeli basketball team to demonstrate its solidarity with Israeli athletes and fans. This was a missed opportunity, as Greek spectators love Euroleague basketball and respect Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Looking toward the future, Israel and Greece are expected to intensify consultations with a holistic agenda. New developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, above all in Syria, ought to be part of this. Both countries are carefully monitoring Turkey’s tactics in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its growing footprint in Syria requires meticulous analysis at the bilateral level.

In January 2025, the Nagel Committee warned about Ankara’s ambitions — a central message that cannot be overlooked. The beginning of Donald Trump’s second administration also reignites optimism in an active American involvement in the regional process after a four-year hiatus. Jerusalem and Athens have new opportunities ahead.

Dr. George N. Tzogopoulos is a BESA contributor, a lecturer at the European Institute of Nice (CIFE) and at the Democritus University of Thrace, and a Senior Fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy. A version of this article was originally published by The BESA Center.

The post Israel and Greece: Optimistic Signs Ahead for 2025 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

The year 2025 is here, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its preachers in the mosques have started off the year with more prayers to exterminate the Jews.

Official PA TV’s message of genocide is that the Jews should be killed to the last one:

Official PA TV sermon: “O Allah, count them one by one and kill them one by one, and do not leave even one.” [emphasis added]

[Official PA TV, Jan. 10, 2025]

Official PA TV sermon: “O Allah, count them one by one and kill them one by one, and do not leave even one.” [emphasis added]

[Official PA TV, Jan. 10, 2025]

Another top PA religious official, a PA Shariah judge, also demonized Jews, teaching that they “defile and Judaize” the Al-Aqsa Mosque plaza when they visit the Temple Mount:

PA Shari’ah Judge Nasser Al-Qirem: “We will not forget the commitment to the pure Martyrs, and the groans of the prisoners in the Nazi occupation’s [i.e., Israel’s] prison cells.

Out of loyalty to these Martyrs and these prisoners, and out of loyalty to the Al-Aqsa Mosque which is being desecrated by the Zionist crime gangs throughout the day, under the protection of the occupation and its soldiers, in order to defile it and Judaize it … For all of this, we must return to our unity.”

[Official PA TV, Jan. 3, 2025]

Palestinian Media Watch has documented the PA’s antisemitic ideology for decades, exposing that Jews are seen as “Satan in human form,” “humanoids, apes and pigs,” and that Jews are “barbaric and bloodthirsty.”

This antisemitic ideology is promoted and endorsed by the top leadership of the PA and by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas himself, who has explained that “Even Hitler… fought the Jews because they worked based on usury and money, in other words, they caused ruin in his opinion, and therefore he hated them.” [emphasis added]

In another PA TV broadcast, a West Bank resident expressed his faith in Allah on the subject of genocide of the Jews:

West Bank resident Jaafar Al-Qadi: “Everyone has been harmed, and Allah willing things will turn out for our benefit. Allah willing the Jews will cease to exist. We know that the Master of the Universe promised us that the Jews will cease to exist.” [emphasis added]

[Official PA TV, Resolve and Confrontation, Dec. 7, 2024]

The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was originally published.

The post It’s 2025 — and Palestinian Authority Sermons Call for the Genocide of Jews first appeared on Algemeiner.com.