Campus craze

From press accounts, Israel might be doing well in the war in Gaza, but it seems like it’s losing the war on another, perhaps even more important, front --the propaganda battlefield.

That’s certainly the case in American college campuses, where we are now witnessing students protesting against Israel, vocally, vociferously, and sometimes, even violently.

It started in Columbia U, an institution whose President Minouche Safik was excoriated in Congress for not doing enough against anti-Semitism. That public debacle, where congresspeople framed student protests as “hotbeds of anti-Semitism and hate”, probably triggered the Safik’s decision to break up the protest the very next day, with nationwide consequences. Suddenly, other campuses caught fire, and anti-Israel protests broke out all over the country.

There was Portland State University, its library barricaded by protesters until police arrested them. There was Dartmouth University and University of New Hampshire, with students camped on campus grounds arrested by police. There was UCLA, with more than 200 students arrested by officers in riot gear. According to the BBC, the protests have already spread to at least 140 colleges scattered among 45 states.

What gives, Israel. Why are you losing the youth? The educated youth, at that.

Is this not concerning --that this new generation is going to grow up, graduate and eventually become the decision makers in their home country, which just happens to be Israel’s biggest supporter and largest donor? What will these fiery and inflamed youth do when they inherit the reins of power? Will they carry with them these seeds of “disfavor” (to say the least) as they slowly assume the mantle of power, and begin making the decisions that will steer the course of their country?

How else do we expect students to react when confronted with killings and with famine? With hospitals being bombed? With journalists that are wrongly targeted? The crime of genocide has been leveled against Israel --and even Germany, a country that has been so careful to avoid anti-Semitism because of its World War II history, now suddenly finds itself accused of genocide again - this time, because of its export of weapons to Israel.

That same empathy for Gaza that we see in American college campuses doesn’t seem to have manifested yet over here. There are a few pockets of Palestinian support, but nothing like the fever that’s suddenly spread in the US.

For example, the Quezon City Hall grounds that’s the domain of Mayor Joy Belmonte has suddenly hosted food stalls from Palestinian refugees who have found their way onto Philippine shores. A couple of Palestinian flags are hoisted, and some nationalistic music plays in the background, while pre-cooked meals are sold by refugees. Curious customers try out the Palestinian food (mostly samosas or chicken and rice) and post social media pics to telegraph their precarious situation (Tarantadong Kalbo, my favorite Pinoy comic artist, is one such poster).

A few contemporary history buffs have also been posting on Instagram, but so far, our students have yet to occupy their campuses. Will it reach that far? Meanwhile, the protest fever has spread in Canada, with Canadian students aping their contemporaries in America and occupying their own campuses.

Student protests are usually seen as healthy, and a sign of intellectual vigor and youthful optimism combined. But in this context, we see criticism of Israel being framed and shaped to be one of anti-Semitism. To protest against the war in Gaza or to ask Israel to stop killing, is to be branded as anti-Jew. But it doesn’t necessarily need to be that. Disagreement with the war tactics of Israel isn’t being anti-Jewish. One can support the rights of Israel to defend itself and its survival, while condemning how it is conducting itself.

South Africa has already successfully sued Israel, with a preliminary order from the International Court of Justice commanding that Israel should do more to protect civilians. South Africa’s graver accusations of genocide remain pending, with the main case possibly taking years. Meanwhile, the world is polarizing between those who absolutely cannot find any fault with Israel, and those who critique its actions, who are promptly branded as anti-Semitic.

That tactic might work in the meantime, but if these student protests are any indication, it’s a losing strategy in the long run. Students who are arrested for protesting to protect human rights are going to be carrying those memories for a long time. Even a lifetime. A recalibration might be in order.