Triple G wrote:
I'm not sure they hold Hamas as blameless, but as protecting Palestinian land (deal with the devil) and seeing Israel as the aggressor against Palestinians and "their" land. College students are idealistic and more emotional than rational.
"College students fairly overwhelmingly want their colleges to Boycott and Divest from corporations that are benefiting Israel's actions in Gaza.
More than 30 states have laws on the books that prohibit any institution receiving state funding from boycotting Israeli businesses.
Those two things are in strong opposition to each other, which means nothing is getting done on the institutional side. Because nothing is getting done and the academic year is getting closer to the end, students are escalating their protests across the US by starting encampments on campus to put further pressure on the administration to do something.
Basically, this doesn't end until the school year ends, and colleges are doing whatever they can to tamp down student action until then, hoping the summer gives them a few months breathing room for everything to blow over."
The New York Times podcast did a pretty good story on Columbia University in New York City.
The universities are juggling (in no particular order) 1) keeping students safe 2) making students feel safe 3) keeping donors/patrons happy 4) keeping politicians off their back 5) allowing protests with as little disruption as possible (sort of self contradictory).
As far as the various students and professors go....
About
This is extremely complicated because there are so many different camps and bad faith actors. Just two quick examples. One can support Palestine's right to exist without supporting and even denouncing Hamas. One can also support Israel existing while being against illegal settlements that foot by foot expand Israel by stealing peoples homes and erasing the possibility of a Palestine state.. You will have extreme views on both ends that try to push people towards different corners. Each extreme end tries to justify their version of a genocide as being justified. Since everyone in the conflict has committed war crimes, it's easy point the finger at the enemy, instead of working on a solution and look inward. An NPR article from January had these statistics.
"Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages back to Gaza."
"Since the war started, 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, while another 62,681 have been wounded, the Health Ministry said." ( The ministry of health is run by Hamas so the numbers can be a bit suspicious, but Israel won't allow independent journalist so I don't trust them either.)
It's also important to know that Netanyahu who is Israel's prime minister in extremely corrupt and disliked. This war has a wag the dog like aspect, as it delays his trial/s. So an hard right unpopular politician has strong incentives to keep it going. Even though many believe he is responsible at least partially for the war due to his policies in the first place.
TLDR: So with that...Some Pro-Palestinian students/professors want their universities to divest from business and educational interests. Some Pro-Palestinian students/professors are chanting Hamas genocidal chant/slogans and threatening Jewish students. Some pro-Israeli students/professors are trying to equate any criticism of Israel as being anti-semitic. Some Jewish students feel reasonably afraid for their lives. As is often the case, the loudest voices tend to be most extreme and drown out any reasonable discussion.
Meanwhile the universities just want to keep teaching/making that money, and moving students through with as little effort as possible. They have to decide the pros and cons of what will de-escalate or escalate the situation. As in call the cops, or let the protests continue. Those two things are in strong opposition to each other, which means nothing is getting done on the institutional side. Because nothing is getting done and the academic year is getting closer to the end, students are escalating their protests across the US by starting encampments on campus to put further pressure on the administration to do something.
Basically, this doesn't end until the school year ends, and colleges are doing whatever they can to tamp down student action until then, hoping the summer gives them a few months breathing room for everything to blow over.
I'm not sure they hold Hamas as blameless, but as ... (
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So, would you be saying the same if the protesters were wearing red caps displaying support of the KKK while making black students feel it unsafe to be on campus? You have to look at the reality of what is going on and understand that the jewish student's civil rights are being threatened by the protests and hate speech that is occurring on campus. The left's understanding of the first amendment amazes me, the protesters have the right to all the hate speech they want to spew, they don't have the right to take over college campuses, roadways, bridges, or in any other way disrupt the lives of their fellow citizens, clearly such acts are not a first amendment right.