Letter to the Editor By Clifford Jackson
Student protests around this country against the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli government is not only morally right but a tradition for generations. During the 1960’s there were demonstrations on these same Ivy League campuses against Americas killing of more than 3 million men women and children who were Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians. There were tens of thousands of these civilians that were killed with napalm and were burned alive.
This same kind of barbarism by the United States is happening to Palestinian Civilians including hundreds of thousands who are being starved to death by the Israelis. What is more disturbing is that these facts are being treated by supporters of Israel as being “ you can’t listen to social media and the Palestinians killed are being used as human shields “. These depraved comments has come from more than a few Jews on various websites.
That is not antisemitism it is a statement of fact that demonstrates how the so-called Judeo Christian ethic is a such a FRAUD in this society. Something that Judith Niewiadomski with her searing ignorance doesn’t understand. What these students are doing is being applauded around the world especially from holocaust survivors. Stephen Kapos is a holocaust survivor and this is what he said about the student protests “
Netyanhu’s statement that the student demonstrations are reminiscent of what the nazi’s did in the 1930’s is an insult to every holocaust victim and survivor. We holocaust survivors demonstrate against The conflating of Zionism with Judaism and that this genocide feeds antisemitism .” He along with my Jewish brothers and sisters that I know personally have also said in terms of the evil of Zionism “ not in our name”.
Michael Rappaport is absolutely despicable in his comments about the student demonstrations calling them “ low life’s, skum bags” as well as other things. He is a racist and certainly a pseudo liberal. Standing next to him while he made these deplorable comments were Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman and congressman Michael Lawler. There support for this genocide shows how disgusting and disgraceful these elected officials are. Jamal Bowman is on the right side of history by saying that “we need a permanent cease fire and to stop the slaughter of Palestinians and bring home the hostages and provide a safe place for Palestinians and Israelis “.
Michael Lawler was more morally reprehensible when he in conjunction with speaker Johnson used their platform as a photo opportunity , even though they were resoundingly booed by the students, and called Hamas a terrorist organization that needs to be wiped out talking about their alleged atrocities and yet ignored the fact that more than 30,000 Palestinian men women and children have been butchered and killed with many more starving.
Republican politicians are not the only ones with this despicable behavior journalist Bill Ritter and his colonized colleague Joe Torres on WABC have been particularly disgraceful with their descriptions of the student demonstrations and , in Torres view, that the president of Columbia University was not responding to antisemitism on campus, and ignoring what holocaust survivors are saying about the unbridled evil of the Israelis and not bringing home in their reporting how evil this treatment of Palestinians are. When they talk about anti semitism and couch this conflict as a “ Hamas Israeli war “ and not report in the same vein the atrocities and genocide of Palestinians then Torres and Ritter are showing their racism on the part of Ritter and sycophant behavior on the part of Torres. Yes antisemitism against Jews on campus should be categorically rejected.
But to make this the issue of these student demonstrations across the country is not only a canard but is an egregious lie as far as what these students are fighting for. Namely divestment from companies supporting this evil apartheid regime in Palestine. These students demonstrated against apartheid in South Africa, they were, from the many sit in demonstrations in the south in this country , fighting American Apartheid that went on for more than 100 years here that many whites and republicans are trying to bring back. These students are continuing this tradition of resistance against evil apartheid in Palestine.
But to be clear this is what America does. When Putin invaded the Ukraine that was United States 101 as far their sanguinary and jingoistic foreign policy. Denis Halliday, an Irish diplomat at the UN quit his position back in the 1990’s because he was incensed and outraged by a United States foreign policy sanction against Iraq that led to close to the starvation of hundred’s of thousands of Iraq men women and especially children. He and the Irish parliament members in the United Kingdom have always been on the right side of history in their daily condemnation of the evils going on in Gaza. They can teach Michael Lawlor a few things about humanity and compassion. Something that these student protesters are trying to make people understand.
Clifford Jackson, Larchmont
