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Canadian Universities Risk Silencing Debate Over Israel
The University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.
When I sat before the governance committee of my student union last month, I came with one clear recommendation: do not adopt the proposed Anti-Palestinian Racism (APR) definition that was being considered at the school.
My objection was not to the idea that every Palestinian student deserves protection from harassment or discrimination. Everybody does. The problem was how the definition blurs politics with discrimination, punishes ordinary criticism, and weakens academic freedom. I urged the committee to reject a definition that, as drafted, risks codifying political narratives into policing tools. Hopefully, they will take my position seriously when they issue their ruling.
Unlike the internationally recognized International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which was created to clarify and address antisemitism without restricting legitimate debate about Israel, APR is fundamentally different.
While IHRA identifies antisemitism and provides examples to guide interpretation, APR functions as a prescriptive framework that risks ending debate by labeling broad narratives as inherently bigoted. IHRA, by contrast, identifies specific antisemitic tropes, such as Holocaust inversion, without restricting legitimate discussion of Israeli policies.
This dynamic is visible on campuses across Canada.
Activists have advanced APR-style motions into governance bodies, claiming they address a gap in how campuses handle incidents related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. In practice, however, these definitions transform legitimate discussion into potential infractions and shield political entities from scrutiny. They also present a single, politicized framing of the “Nakba” as an unquestionable truth — and treat any attempt to acknowledge the role of surrounding Arab states or the choices of Palestinian leadership to seek Israel’s elimination in 1948 as an act of racism.
This approach effectively labels Israel as solely responsible for the 1948 war, which is inaccurate, because it was five surrounding Arab states and the Palestinian population that launched the war. Israel was prepared to accept a Palestinian state, as ordered by the UN.
The APR definition makes balanced historical debate impossible.
A central conceptual problem here is the treatment of “narratives” as if they were objective facts. The motion’s language reads: “dehumanize Palestinians or their narratives.”
Narratives are how communities make sense of history and identity; they are powerful and meaningful, but they are also contested, partial, and shaped by memory and ideology. Freezing a narrative into policy shuts off debate when universities should encourage questioning, not punish it.
The consequences of accepting the definition are grave. The APR definition conflates collective identity with collective responsibility, making it risky to criticize political groups or organizations for fear of being labelled racist. The motion would make discussion of terrorist organizations effectively off-limits. That shuts down honest debate about security, human rights, and political accountability, and the wording appears deliberately crafted to misrepresent what the IHRA working definition actually does.
In fact, Students for Justice in Palestine, the group largely responsible for pushing this movement on campus, has been responsible for harassing and attacking Jewish individuals and events at universities. Letting this group dictate codified political narratives is dangerous and irresponsible.
So what should campus communities do instead?
First, institutions must protect students from harassment while also safeguarding free inquiry. Existing anti-discrimination procedures already regulate speech in ways that maintain responsible discourse: they address harassment or conduct that creates a hostile environment, without broadly policing disagreement with collective narratives.
Secondly, defend academic freedom. Universities are laboratories of thought; they must tolerate uncomfortable, even offensive, ideas when they are part of honest inquiry. A definition that protects students by preventing harassment must do so without impeding academic freedom. The IHRA working definition is a non-binding tool to apply antisemitism policies without restricting debate; APR, by contrast, acts as a prescriptive framework that risks silencing discourse.
At a deeper level, this debate reflects a wider trend in Canada, where freedom of expression is increasingly being seen as under threat. The idea that speech can be restricted whenever it disrupts a preferred political narrative is dangerous. As free expression comes under threat, we must do more to protect it and keep open dialogue central to Canadian society.
The APR debate is not a trivial matter. It is a test of whether campuses can protect and preserve the necessary work of democratic debate and freedom of expression. If we get that balance right, universities can remain places where identities are respected and ideas are fearlessly examined. If we get it wrong, we risk turning our campuses into echo chambers where the very thing we claim to defend, free thought, is the first casualty.
Adam Katz is a 2025-2026 CAMERA on Campus fellow and a second-year political science and history student at the University of Manitoba.
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Netanyahu: ‘Our Forces Are Striking the Heart of Tehran With Increasing Strength’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in the state memorial ceremony for the fallen of the Iron Swords War on Mount Herzl, in Jerusalem, Oct. 16, 2025. Photo: Alex Kolomoisky/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces had “eliminated the dictator Ali Khamenei” along with dozens of senior officials of Iran’s regime during a statement delivered from the roof of the Kirya, Israel’s defense headquarters.
“Yesterday, we eliminated the dictator Khamenei. Along with him, dozens of senior officials from the oppressive regime were eliminated,” Netanyahu said after a meeting with the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff, and the Director of Mossad. He added that he had issued instructions to continue the offensive.
According to Netanyahu, Israeli forces are “now striking at the heart of Tehran with increasing intensity,” a campaign he said will “increase further in the days to come.”
The Prime Minister also acknowledged the toll of the conflict on Israel, calling recent days “painful” and offering condolences to the families of victims in Tel Aviv and Beit Shemesh, while wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.
Netanyahu emphasized that the operation mobilizes “the full power of the Israel Defense Forces, like never before,” in order to “guarantee our existence and our future.” He also highlighted US support, noting “the assistance of my friend, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and of the American military.”
“This combination of forces allows us to do what I have hoped to accomplish for 40 years: strike the terrorist regime right in the face,” Netanyahu concluded. “I promised it — and we will keep our word.”
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Trump Says Iran Military Operations Are ‘Ahead of Schedule,’ CNBC Reports
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during military operations in Iran, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. February 28, 2026. The White House/Social Media/Handout via REUTERS
US President Donald Trump told CNBC on Sunday that US military operations against Iran are “ahead of schedule.”
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Iranian Missile Strike on Beit Shemesh in Israel Kills 9
Emergency personnel work at the site of an Iranian strike, after Iran launched missile barrages following attacks by the US and Israel on Saturday, in Beit Shemesh, Israel, March 1, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
An Iranian missile strike hit the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh on Sunday, killing nine people and wounding dozens, in what authorities described as a direct impact on a public bomb shelter.
A ballistic missile leveled the bomb shelter, leaving a large crater in its wake. Most, if not all, of those killed had been taking cover inside the shelter when it hit, Jerusalem Police Deputy Commissioner Avshalom Peled said at the impact scene.
Those in critical condition were airlifted to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
At least 20 people were still missing late on Sunday afternoon local time.
As you read this, an Iranian missile has just struck a residential neighborhood in Beit Shemesh, Israel, only 30 kilometers/about 18 miles from Jerusalem.
Nine people are dead.
More than 20 are wounded, including children. A
public shelter collapsed from the direct hit. An… pic.twitter.com/mEVDlPEqgf
— Ella Kenan (@EllaTravelsLove) March 1, 2026
Several buildings surrounding the shelter in Beit Shemesh, which is west of Jerusalem, were also damaged in the attack, with two collapsing entirely. A synagogue was also destroyed.
Emergency crews from Magen David Adom, ZAKA, and United Hatzalah joined fire and rescue units at the site, combing damaged buildings and debris for possible survivors. Many people were trapped under rubble or inside apartments, first responders said.
The Iranian Regime directly fired missiles toward the civilian neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, killing innocent civilians.
The Iranian regime purposely targets civilian targets while we precisely target terror targets. This is who we’re operating against—a regime who uses… pic.twitter.com/9W8Fp4T2tH
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 1, 2026
Chaim Wingarten, deputy director of operations at rescue organization ZAKA, described the scenes as “very difficult.”
“When I arrived, it was a huge chaos, with wounded people everywhere,” he said.
The strike was part of a larger volley that triggered air-raid sirens across the country. A man in his fifties was wounded by shrapnel elsewhere in central Israel.
IDF foreign media spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani charged Iran with deliberately firing at civilians. “We know this is their strategy,” he said, adding that Israel would do “everything in our power to remove these capabilities from this bloodthirsty terrorist regime.”
The Beit Shemesh hit marked the highest single-incident death toll inside Israel since the confrontation with Iran began a day earlier. The previous peak came during the 12-day war in June 2025, when a missile slammed into an apartment block in Bat Yam and killed nine people.
The Beit Shemesh strike came a day after US and Israeli forces struck a compound in Tehran killing senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death was later announced on Iranian state television.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Trump said 48 Iranian leaders were killed in the strikes. “Nobody can believe the success we’re having; 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it’s moving along rapidly,” he said.
Separately, the American president told CNBC that the US operation was “ahead of schedule.”
Thousands of Iranians braved the strikes and took to the streets to celebrate Khamenei’s death on Saturday evening. Many people stood on balconies and at windows chanting “freedom, freedom,” The New York Times reported. People in the Iranian city of Shiraz were “abandoning their cars for an impromptu dance party, whistling, cheering, clapping, and screaming with joy. In many videos, celebrants joined together in a cheer that is typically reserved for weddings, symbolizing pure joy,” the report said.
GeoConfirmed Iran.
People chanting – Celebrations through the Foolad Shahr area in Isfahan with joy and jubilation over the killing of Khamenei.
Rough location – 32.48169, 51.39167
F9JR+MMF Fuladshahr, Isfahan Province, IranGeoLocated by @Mitch_Ulrich
Geolocation:… https://t.co/iv9TlSPPfS
— GeoConfirmed (@GeoConfirmed) February 28, 2026
Can you hear the joy in his voice?
“I am dreaming, hello world!” pic.twitter.com/ICq77zBerv— William Mehrvarz (@WilliamMehrvarz) March 1, 2026
Iran retaliated by firing repeated waves of missiles and drones, with launches aimed not only at Israel but also at US bases in the Middle East, including Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Iran on Sunday morning also launched two missiles at Cyprus, where thousands of British military personnel are stationed, which fell short.
Later in the afternoon, the US acknowledged its first losses with US Central Command, saying three American service members were killed and five were seriously wounded during the operations in Iran.