LOS ANGELES.–President Joe Biden, 81, has been all but invisible on the pro-Palestine protests sweeping across the country, creating illegal homeless-like encampments on colleges on the East and West coasts. Biden fears a Muslim backlash in the upcoming 2024 presidential election where he’s already been told the Muslims in battleground states like Michigan and Minnesota would rebel if he showed his pro-Israel bias. But Biden has just signed a $95 billion foreign aid bill that includes a $61 billlion cash infusion for Ukraine and $28 billion for Israel. So, for anyone paying attention, there’s no question that Biden favors Israel over the Palestinian protests. When it comes to the Antifa-like protests on college campuses, Biden has been a missing person, unwilling to state publicly that he will not tolerate anti-Semitic hate speech or, worse yet, intimidation or harassment of Jewish students.
Today’s pro-Palestine demonstrations have gotten so far out-of-control that 61-year-old Columbia University President Minouch Shafik isn’t taken seriously by pro-Palestine protesters. Shafik has give protesters several deadlines, the latest elapsed today at 2 PM EST, leaving at least 100 tents on campus filled with largely outside agitators, not Columbia students. Shafik said she was negotiating in good faith with student protesters reprising an only practice AKA BDS, Boycott, Divests and Sanction Israel for its war with Hamas in Gaza. BDS has been going on for over 30 years, as the Palestine Liberation strategy to harm Israel economically. Shafik told protesters she would submit their demands to Columbia’s Investment Committee but saw no reason at this time to Boycott, Divest or Sanction Israel. Outside agitators have taken over pro-Palestine protests at Columbia.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has called for Shafik’s resignation, noting her feeble attempts to deal with illegal encampments on the Columbia grounds. “Zionists—that are Nazis. They’re Nazis. They are fascists. They’re supporters of genocide. Why would we want people are supporters of genocide to live,” with some protesters reciting slogans like “from the river to the sea,” said one pro-Palestinian agitator. “A cry to eliminate Israel and all Jews within its borders,” chanted protesters, showing how peaceful demonstrations morphed into demands for Jewish genocide. Palestinian protesters say Israel has engaged in Nazi-like genocide in Gaza but actually, like the terror group Hamas, routinely call for the destruction of Israel. Most demonstrators don’t want a two-state solution, they want to erase Israel and return Bedouin Arabs back to territory in the Holy Land.
Shafik said she’s engaged with Columbia faculty to try to reason with so-called student protesters “to find a path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment,” but Shafik has not been able to reach any agreement. Shafik has been reluctant to call in the New York Police Department to dismantle illegal encampments on Columbia grounds. Shafik said Columbia would not boycott, divest or sanction Israeli investment but would review proposals from students. Shafik’s reticence has enabled the encampments to increase in size, receiving financial support for Anti-like groups like Drummond Pike’s San Francisco-based Tides Center that receives millions in cash from billionaire financier George Soros who throws his weight around with anarchistic groups like the pro-Palestine Adalah Justice Center, funding the tents and other props, including flags, printed signs and Keffiyehs.
Stafanik wants Shafik fired because she’s too timid or supportive of pro-Palestine porters to call in the NYPD to dos its job to clearing illegal encampments from Columbia. Across the country, on the Westside in Los Angeles, UCLA campus has been overrun by the same anarchist groups claiming to take up the Palestinian cause. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, 75, has let protests and encampments in the heard of UCLA campus to get out of hand. Block has been reluctant to call in the LAPD to do what they did at cross-town rival USC, where 73-year-old President Carol Folt asked the LAPD to dismantle and remove encampments after watching so-called peaceful protesters vandalize the campus. When you look at Columbia or UCLA, there’s simply no excuse for not telling law enforcement to dismantle illegal encampments and restore order for all students on campus.
President Joe Biden hasn’t helped the spreading pro-Palestine protests at college campuses around the country. Too worried about the upcoming election, Biden frets about losing Arabs that to take a stand on Jewish hate speech. When running for president in 2020, Biden blasted Trump for not condemning White nationalist protesters in Charollesville, N.C., trying to dismantle Confederate statues. When it comes to vile anti-Semitic rhetoric, Biden seems far more tolerant than for African American hate speech. Despite all the Jews in Biden’s Cabinet, like Sectary of State Antony Blinken or Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland, Biden treats Jews and Blacks differently when it comes to tolerating hate speech. If Biden were really in charge of the White House he would call on pro-Palestine protesters to stop the hate speech or face the full force of U.S. civil rights laws.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
