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UNC Has Become a Beacon for Jew Hatred; No One Seems to Care
Students sit on the steps of Wilson Library on the campus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US, Sept. 20, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
On November 24, a group of 50 students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) — the majority of whom are Jewish — sent a letter to a US senator, saying that “Jewish students at UNC do not feel safe.”
The letter states:
After October 7th, the day of the [Hamas] terror attack, anti-Jewish rhetoric hit an all-time high. A Jewish student with an Israeli flag on his back had drinks thrown at him in our dining hall. Members of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) threatened several peaceful protesters with violence, and some brandished pocket knives and threatened our members.
A Professor [who is Israeli] was pushed down a flight of stairs by these protesters who proceeded to pour drinks on him. Jewish students across campus are being harassed by student “reporters” so they can continue to publish antisemitic-driven narratives. Posters for SJP and other affiliated organizations across campus depict terrorists flying into Israel and the Hamas missiles aimed at Israel.
A signatory of this letter told me that on October 12, at SJP’s pro-Hamas Day of Resistance Rally at UNC, Jewish students who were silently counter-protesting were approached by two masked activists who allegedly said, “Let’s fight” and allegedly brandished knives.
Before the rally, SJP publicly “recommended” anti-Israel protestors wear “face coverings” to this outdoor event, even though UNC policy states that masks may not be worn to “conceal identity.”
In early December, I was at a local breakfast establishment near campus, and was chatting with a woman who was in town to tour UNC. She told me that her tour guide said UNC’s campus had become unsafe due to SJP rallies.
On Nov. 28, I attended and reported on the event “No Peace Without Justice: A Round-Table Talk about Social Justice in Palestine,” hosted by numerous departments at UNC.
One of the speakers, Dr. Rania Masri, said: “Oct. 7 for many of us from the region was a beautiful day.”
Masri spoke with pride and admiration for Hamas and their paragliders, saying she is not “the least bit apologetic of the violence of the oppressed or the occupied.”
Several panelists openly agreed with her. None challenged Masri, or appeared concerned about her calls to eliminate Israel. Masri went on to say, “Let us demand the eradication of Zionism. Let us have that be our goal.”
The absence of a question and answer period meant that nothing could be challenged by audience members.
On December 10, Masri posted a video on Facebook that glorified Hamas and called Hamas “our heroes.” How could UNC subject Jewish students — or any students — to such a vile and hateful person?
Not only did UNC host this antisemitic event, but plenty of free pizza was provided.
One event sponsor — UNC’s Student Life & Leadership — has even kept the event flier posted on their Instagram and Facebook accounts.
A week before leaving UNC to take a position at another university, UNC’s Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz responded via email to concerned community members without even mentioning the word antisemitism. His weak response profoundly disappointed the Jewish community.
On December 9, UNC faculty published a petition letter titled “UNC Faculty stand against antisemitism, insist on respectful engagement with challenging topics.” It gained over 100 faculty signatures in just its first day.
The letter reviews evidence first reported in The Algemeiner and then states: “Sponsorship by academic units and the failure to disavow the [November 28] event after the fact implicitly sanctions antisemitic speech that harms people and is wholly at odds with the values of our campus community and institution.”
Jessica Smith, Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government, told me:
The purpose of our letter was twofold. First, to ask our colleagues to join us in condemning antisemitic hate speech that occurred at a UNC-sponsored event, calling October 7th a “beautiful day.” And second, to join us in calling for balanced and respectful dialogue on controversial issues … Free speech and academic freedom provide the right to speak. They do not, however, provide a shield from criticism for antisemitic hate speech.
In 2019, UNC hosted a conference that featured an antisemitic rap performance, which led to UNC entering into a Resolution Agreement with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), requiring UNC “to ensure that students enrolled in the university are not subjected to a hostile environment.”
On December 7, 2023, a Title VI complaint was filed with OCR. It concludes that Jewish students at UNC should not be “marinated in blatant antisemitism.”
“The fact that the Resolution Agreement executed in 2019 has been violated in 2023 indicates very clearly that stronger remedies are called for today,” it says. “The OCR should impose such remedies as soon as it is able to do so.”
For years, UNC has tolerated and fostered a campus climate that is hostile towards Jewish and pro-Israel students. When will UNC finally act to end this hostility so that Jewish students are afforded — like all other students — a safe and productive campus environment?
Peter Reitzes writes about issues related to antisemitism and Israel.
The post UNC Has Become a Beacon for Jew Hatred; No One Seems to Care 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.