LETTER: Clarification on pro-Hamas demonstrations

Stanley Cohen Henderson

4 weeks ago

FILE - Police in Riot gear stand guard as demonstrators chant slogans outside the Columbia Univ ... — FILE – Police in Riot gear stand guard as demonstrators chant slogans outside the Columbia University campus, Thursday, April 18, 2024, in New York. U.S. colleges and universities are preparing for end-of-year commencement ceremonies with a unique challenge: providing safety for graduates while honoring the free speech rights of students involved in protests over the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Michael Frias, in his Wednesday letter, states that he is confused by the demonstrators on campuses being condemned for antisemitism. I agree: Mr. Frias is confused.

The demonstrations on many college campuses contain signs with slogans such as “From the River to the Sea” and, “Continue the Intifada.” The former is calling for the destruction of Israel and the creation of an Islamic theocracy in its place. That would require the death or displacement of 7 million Jews living in Israel. That is the goal of Hamas. That is antisemitic. The second Intifada was used by Hamas to employ suicide bombings in Israel and to randomly kill Jews worldwide. That is antisemitic.

Were the demonstrations really for peace in Gaza, they would be demanding both Hamas and Israel cease military activity and a return of all hostages. Instead, the demand has been for a unilateral withdrawal by Israel, giving Hamas a public relations victory. The demonstrations should be called what they are: pro-Hamas, a terrorist and antisemitic organization. So while not all demonstrators are antisemitic, the pro-Hamas demonstrations are, in reality, antisemitic.