College campuses across America are heating up with pro-Palestinian rallies, and increasing verbal and physical attacks on Jewish and pro-Israel students have been reported.
The New York Times reports that “Students for Justice in Palestine” has joined forces with other campus movements, including sweatshop opponents, affirmative action supporters, environmental groups, and supporters of a living wage. See “Campus Tensions Growing With Support for Palestinians” at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/08/education/08CAMP.html
In the past weeks at UC Berkeley, a brick was thrown through the Hillel windows, Hillel property was spray-painted “Hate Jews,” and a rabbi’s son was beaten up, requiring stitches to his head. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, anti-Israel groups held a large demonstration in the center of the Berkeley campus. One Jewish student took the microphone and proceeded to recite the kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, for Palestinians killed by “Israeli terror.”
HonestReporting is concerned that college newspapers may help foment this atmosphere.
HonestReporting encourages all university students to monitor their campus media, and write their own op-ed piece, explaining the Israeli view.
Below are some of the worst examples of recent college coverage:
===== RUTGERS’ DAILY TARGUM =====
“Students Rally Behind Palestinian Cause” by Chris Lang (April 5)
http://dailytargum.com/news/229456.html
The Rutgers paper quotes an Arab student claiming that “the Israeli government went into an all-female hospital and randomly selected 30 women, called them terrorists and executed them.”
Comments can be submitted at:
http://dailytargum.com/main.cfm?include=submit
The Weekly Standard published its own critique of the Rutgers Daily Targum, claiming that it has thus far failed to publish any of the responses it received. Leslie Fishbein, a Rutgers associate professor, writes: “The Daily Targum has no right to publish unsubstantiated lies that can promote anti-Semitism and that can corrupt its readers’ understanding of the current violence in the Mideast.”
===== UCLA’S DAILY BRUIN =====
“U.S. foreign policy unfairly holds Iraq, Israel to different standards, policies. Bush should view both Hussein, Sharon in similar light,” by Hakam Al-Samarrai (April 15)
http://www.dailybruin.com/index.php/article/2002/04/us-foreign-policy-unfairly-hol
Al-Samarrai claims that Israel and Iraq “have violated U.N. laws, ignored U.N. resolutions, and been accused of violating international laws, humanitarian and otherwise… Both Israel and Iraq have leaders, Prime Minister Sharon and President Hussein respectively, who have been accused of ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people.”
Comments to:
[email protected]
UCLA Alumnus, Alan Tsarovsky, wrote a fine analysis of the state of the media in an article, “Media oversimplifies conflict in Middle East, Propagandistic slogans, catch-phrases prevent true evaluation,” published in the April 11 Daily Bruin.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/db/articles.asp?ID=19175
===== DAILY FREE PRESS – BOSTON UNIVERSITY =====
Last week at Boston University, a group of student organizations used the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day to publicize what they consider to be Israeli aggression against its Arab population. The very symbols and images of Jewish suffering were used to make the case against Israel. These students labeled Israel an oppressive apartheid state and even went so far as to justify the recent spate of suicide bombings.
One of the student protesters was quoted in the school paper as follows: “What’s the difference between civilian terrorists and soldier terrorists? One side is using conventional weapons against civilians, and the other side is having to use themselves as bombs.”
See the full story:
http://www.dailyfreepress.com/news/234783.html
(requires registration)
===== MICHIGAN DAILY – UNIV. OF MICHIGAN =====
“Depiction of Palestinians False” – by Tyler Boersen (April 3)
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/
In the first paragraph, the article quotes a Palestinian aid worker from Gaza who claimed that Palestinians did not celebrate when they heard of the World Trade Center collapsed.
Feedback can be posted at the bottom of the article.
