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Home Posts “Hamas Terrorists Are Freedom Fighters”: Painful Testimony From the Corridors of an American Campus

“Hamas Terrorists Are Freedom Fighters”: Painful Testimony From the Corridors of an American Campus
Ella Chissick
6 March, 2024
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Ella Chissick, a member of the Palestinian Area Program at INSS and an MA student in Islamic Studies at Columbia University, shares:

In recent weeks I have been participating in conferences and official events on campus regarding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the war in the Gaza Strip. The events are attended by senior speakers, from academia and the media, well-known authors and leading researchers in the field. In all the events, one clear statement stands out: Hamas terrorists are freedom fighters and the murderous attack on October 7, in which hundreds of innocent Israelis were murdered, is a natural response to the ongoing Israeli occupation. Thus, at one of the most prestigious and desirable universities in the United States and the world in general, the murder of innocents is justified.

First, I went to hear the other side, hoping to find partners for dialogue in the campus corridors. How surprised I was to find out that extremism starts at the top with well-dressed professors and journalists who tell a hall full of people about the resistance and bravery shown by Gazans on October 7. They also do not forget to speak out against “the cruel Israeli,” “the occupier,” and do not miss an opportunity to mention how many of those who served in the IDF roam the campus “freely.” And the students, thirsty for a just war, applaud those who preach hatred of Israel. Maybe these are the most extreme of the extreme, maybe it’s ignorance, maybe it’s a passing phenomenon. But senior and influential speakers have participated in these events, and it is clear that the students felt the unique status and even dressed excitedly and festively in their honor.

“They are coming for all of us” said the speakers, creating a sense of hysteria, persecution, and panic among American students studying in New York. After a sentence such as this they feel they are a persecuted group, when the persecutor is, of course, the Israeli. The participants all shed a tear in the face of the difficult stories about Gazan children who are murdered by “the Israeli who celebrates their blood,” as they coalesce and become closer around the narrative of hatred against the State of Israel, but especially against the Israelis.

There is no place here on campus for Israeli identification with the Gazan suffering while acknowledging the harsh hand that must be taken against Hamas, and certainly those who want to stand by Israel should be careful. “The situation on the campus is getting worse,” said one of the Israeli lecturers who identifies himself as anti-Zionist. He is also a witness to radicalization on campus that has become limitless.

Topics: Israel-United States Relations, Swords of Iron War
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  • Research

    • Topics
      • Israel and the Global Powers
      • Israel-United States Relations
      • Glazer Israel-China Policy Center
      • Russia
      • Europe
      • Iran and the Shi'ite Axis
      • Iran
      • Lebanon and Hezbollah
      • Syria
      • Yemen and the Houthi Movement
      • Iraq and the Iraqi Shiite Militias
      • Conflict to Agreements
      • Israeli-Palestinian Relations
      • Hamas and the Gaza Strip
      • Peace Agreements and Normalization in the Middle East
      • Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States
      • Turkey
      • Egypt
      • Jordan
      • Israel’s National Security Policy
      • Military and Strategic Affairs
      • Societal Resilience and the Israeli Society
      • Jewish-Arab Relations in Israel
      • Climate, Infrastructure and Energy
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      • Perceptions about Jews and Israel in the Arab-Muslim World and Their Impact on the West
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