First came the shock of Israel’s war with Hamas, and the repugnant global outpouring of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protest. Now comes the aftershock.
During 50 days of war, as violence against Jewish targets swept across Europe, many anti-Israel protesters no longer bothered masking their underlying anti-Semitism.
One of the central battlegrounds of anti-Israel activism at home is college campuses. As our story on page 2 notes, the battle began even before the 2014-15 school year did — with one especially vicious anti-Semitic attack last month at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Locally, we brace for the Sept. 23 “international day of action,” the brainchild of U.C. Berkeley Middle East Studies professor and avowed Israel hater, Hatem Bazian. Together with national Muslim student groups, Bazian is calling for “civil disobedience” on campuses across the country.
Beyond that, Bazian has called for multiple actions that would take the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement to a new level.
Remember the “Three No’s” of the Arab League in 1967 (no negotiations, no recognition, no peace with Israel)? As part of the “day of action,” Bazian has concocted a list of 10 new No’s, which would forbid universities from any collaboration with Israel, including joint research, study-abroad programs, security cooperation or consultation with organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council.
This list is pure madness on its face, but with BDS activists milking the Gaza war to advance their own agenda, it would be a mistake to underestimate the reach or determination of anti-Israel zealots. And their campaigns, although targeting Israel, make many Jewish students feel under attack simply for being Jewish.
Thus, we urge the Bay Area Jewish community and all supporters of Israel to marshal their resources for what will surely be a sharp-toothed BDS campaign on our local college campuses during the 2014-15 academic year.
This means Hillels, Jewish student groups and Jewish fraternities such as Alpha Epsilon Pi must gear up for maximum outreach to students. They and their allies must work with university administrations to make sure Jewish students — all students — feel safe on campus this year.