Spring marked the end of a turbulent semester for students at George Washington University, where “peaceful protesters” punctuated their calls to free Palestine by threatening to kill the university president and provost.
Even setting these threatening behaviors aside, protesters’ actions on GWU’s campus could hardly be called “peaceful.” As administrators prepare for the fall term, they should consider how to respond to the mixed messages they receive from students.
I asked several Jewish students how they felt about the messages of the protesters. They said it’s evident that any legitimate criticisms of Israel are being drowned out by antisemitic war cries.
Although some activists have claimed they stand for peace, most fail to clarify what they mean by that. Very few openly say they want a Palestinian-Arab community living harmoniously with an Israeli-Jewish counterpart. Pro-Palestine activists who want peace would do well to distance themselves from these protests.
The dominating messaging from pro-Palestine protesters is virulently and unapologetically antagonistic toward Israel and the Jewish nation.
GWU student Sophie Titlebaum said many protesters carry themselves as though they know they are hostile. “I have seen them walk around campus in their keffiyehs. Many cover their faces with masks, as they know that what they are doing is wrong and hostile,” she said. “Some have even intimidated pro-Israel rallies by standing and watching from a side as somewhat of a silent threat, some have megaphones, and others have a ‘ceasefire now’ shirt on, which completely disregards what Hamas did on October 7th.”
David Naftulin, a GWU graduate, described the standard rallying cries of the protesters, many of which have been heard on campuses nationwide, such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine is Arab,” “We don’t want two states, we want all of it,” “resistance is justified when people are occupied,” and “there is only one solution: intifada revolution.”
“The chants were enthusiastically repeated by the protesters — they were not fringe or outside of the norm,” he said. “When I read the media repeatedly describing them as merely ‘anti-war,’ I feel as though I am being gaslit. The core of these protests are OK with Hamas, supportive of violence as long as it is against Israel, and hostile to the basic existence of the state of Israel. They would tell you so themselves if only the media would directly ask them.”
Many anti-Israel activists claim they cannot be antisemitic because there are anti-Zionist Jews in their camp. Dahlia Mermelstein, a GWU grad student, likewise responded, “That doesn’t mean that they’re not antisemitic. Tokenizing certain Jews to fit your narrative doesn’t mean you’re not using those select Jews to speak for the masses.”
Instead of coming to the table to discuss how they can address antisemitism in their movement, anti-Israel activists hide behind anti-Zionist Jews. If they were genuinely concerned about Jews, then they would also listen to voices that are calling out antisemitism in their movement.
There may be voices in these protests who want a better future for Palestinians. However, these voices have been drowned out by more destructive messages. It’s incongruous that protesters would hold a fake trial condemning the school administration to the guillotine yet still claim they want “peace” in the Holy Land.
As we approach the fall semester, university administrators need to examine their plans for addressing these protests. Administrators must protect free speech, protect Jewish students from harassment, and keep these protests from getting out of hand.
