Page 5 - Pakistan Link - October 20, 2023
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OPINION                                                                                                              PAKISTAN  LINK - OCTOBER 20, 2023 - P5
                                           Is the Israel-Palestine War                          the  Center  for  the  Study  of  Hate  and  the  war  on  Palestinians  started  over
              n By Selen Ozturk                                                                    Brian  Levin,  Esq.  —  Founder  of  years  of  Israeli  military  blockade  and

          n a Friday, Oct 13 Ethnic Media                                                       Extremism  and  Professor  Emeritus  of  75 years ago with occupation and sys-
          Services  briefing,  experts  dis-  Deepening US Inter-Ethnic Hate?                   Criminal Justice at California State Uni- temic  apartheid  …  and  though  much
       Icussed  the  conflict’s  roots,  what                                                   versity,  San  Bernardino  —  notes  that  of the media is reporting that Israel has
       it  means  for  Jewish  and  Muslim  US                                                  antisemitic  behavior  is  detrimental  to  now left Gaza, that’s not true. They just
       communities  confronting  increased                                                      efforts for Palestinian statehood.  moved their defenses to the perimeter.”
       hate,  and  how  inter-ethnic  US  vio-                                                     Comparing this spike to past ones   “What we are seeing now is a mass
       lence is deepening in response to the                                                    — 2020 during the election and George  expulsion,” she continued, “where half
       international violence.                                                                  Floyd protests, 2001 after 9/11 — Levin  of the over two million people in Gaza
                                                                                                made two points: “Hate crimes are not  have been asked to leave their homes
       Hate crimes and rising conflict                                                          only spiking, but are more elongated in  …  because  Israel  says  that  they  will
         Explaining  the  war’s  background,                                                    in their spikes,” and “There is massive  bomb them. They’ve given over a mil-
       Jamal Dajani — Palestinian-American                                                      underreporting.  The  most  recent  Bu- lion  people  24  hours  to  try  to  move
       journalist,  co-founder  of  Arab  Talk                                                  reau  of  Justice  Statistics  studies  show  amidst all the bombing and rubble and
       Radio, and former member of the San                                                      that  a  bare  minimum  of  overall  hate  roads that have already been destroyed
       Francisco Human Rights Commission                                                        crimes are reported by victims … and  … and the mainstream media isn’t re-
       — said “What’s happening now is not                                                      certain populations, like immigrants or  porting on these incidences … there is
       happening in a vacuum … For the past                                                     foreign-language communities, are far  much misinformation that drives this.”
       75  years,  Palestinians  have  not  seen                                                less likely to report.”          Estee  Chandler  —  Jewish  Voice  for
       any advancement in negotiations, they                                                       While  white  supremacists  are  very  Peace,  Los  Angeles  Chapter  Organizer
       have not realized their aspirations, and                                                 often involved in these attacks, he added  —  discusses  the  proliferation  of  hate-
       they are living under apartheid.”   As the bloody war between Israel and Palestine escalates, so does antise-  “Not  everybody  who  attacks  Jews  are  speech and attempts to silence pro-Pal-
         Israel has been classified an apart- mitic and Islamophobic US hate                    white  supremacists.  We  have  different  estinian voices in the wake of escalating
       heid  state  by  Human  Rights  Watch,                                                   types of offenders: thrill offenders with  violence between Israel and Palestine.
       Amnesty  International,  and  its  own  Israelis, to foment their hatred. Across  The war’s impact on US hate crimes  shallow prejudices, acting on stereotypes;   Nor  is  the  mainstream  media  re-
       human rights organization, B’Tselem.  the  board,  most  of  the  hate  crimes   Brian  Levin,  founder  of  the  Center  defensive or reactive offenders; mentally  porting on the effect in US communi-
         Peabody  Award-winning  journalist  here — attacks on mosques, attacks on  for  the  Study  of  Hate  and  Extremism  ill offenders; and mission offenders.”  ties, Chandler added — and particular-
       and host of Arab Talk Radio Jamal Da- synagogues — are perpetrated by white  and  criminal  justice  Professor  Emeri-  While the current war “is indeed a  ly on college campuses. “Locally on the
       jani shares his perspective on the roots of  supremacists.”  tus at CSU San Bernardino, said the US  political dispute,” said Levin, “in article  UCLA campus, we’re seeing that mem-
       the current conflict between Israel and   When  it  comes  to  Palestinians’  has seen an increase in hate crimes over  seven of Hamas’ charter, they say the  bers of Students for Justice in Palestine
       Hamas and how white supremacists in  “aspiration for freedom and indepen- recent  years,  hitting  a  record  reported  Day of Judgment will not come until  are being doxxed on social media. Their
       the US may seek to use the violence in  dence,” he continued, “they have a lot  number of 10,840 in 2021 with a popula- Muslims kill the Jews. We’ve also had  ability to organize and secure spaces to
       the Middle East to stoke further antise- of Jewish supporters, like from Jewish  tion representation of 91.1% per the FBI. similar  statements  by  Hezbollah  and  do teach-ins has been suppressed,” and
       mitic and Islamophobic sentiment.  Voice  for  Peace  …  This  is  not  a  reli-  This  record  was  surpassed  again  others  …  Jews  not  distinguished  by  this  is  seen  on  campuses  nationwide,
         Domestically, the US has witnessed  gious conflict. It is not an ethnic con- with the FBI’s release of 2022 statistics  nationality.”  Thus,  he  continued,  we  she said — for example, at Harvard.
       a rise in white supremacy, antisemitism  flict … This is a territorial conflict. It’s a  on Monday. Last year saw a whopping  can expect this religious violence to be   The  tensions  are  also  fueling  in-
       and  Islamophobia  since  the  Trump  colonial conflict. If you have any ethnic  11,643  reported  hate  crimes  with  a  reflected in US attacks.  creasing  violence  beyond  college
       administration,  he  continued,  “and  group — whether Jewish, or from Af- slightly  raised  population  represen-     campuses.  Last  Saturday,  a  six-year-
       white  supremacists  are  opportunists.  ghanistan or China — drive you out of  tation  of  91.7%.  Over  56%  of  these  The conflict not seen in media  old Palestinian-American boy in Chi-
       They can take advantage of any inter- your home to refugee camps, Palestin- crimes were racially or ethnically moti-  Estee Chandler — organizer of Jew- cago was fatally stabbed by his land-
       national event, be it between Russians  ians will see them as invaders.”  vated, while over 17% were religiously  ish Voice for Peace, Los Angeles chapter  lord — who also attacked his mother
       and  Ukrainians  or  Palestinians  and                      motivated.                   — said “Gaza has been under nearly 16   (Continued on page 23)

                                      A Gulf of Perspectives Is Growing among                                                 led  movement  that  aims  to  “end  US
              n By Chris Kenning                                                                                              IfNotNow,  a  Jewish  American  youth-
       INDIANAPOLIS:  On  one  side  of  a                                                                                    support  for  Israel’s  apartheid  system”
       brick street at the center of this Mid-  US Millennials amid War in Israel                                             and advocates for “equality, justice, and
       west  city’s  downtown  Thursday  eve-                                                                                 a  thriving  future  for  all  Palestinians
       ning, Benjamin Gross held a sign read-                                                                                 and Israelis,” said she saw parallels with
       ing “Palestine Will Be Free,” chanting                                                   Why  Palestinian  sympathies  have  the recent US protests sparked by po-
       along with more than 150 demonstra-                                                      grown among millennials       lice shootings.
       tors waving red, black and green flags.                                                     Some  left-leaning  young  adults  in   Another  factor  influencing  public
         The  24-year-old  researcher,  who                                                     Indianapolis’  Jewish  community  can  opinion  may  be  opposition  to  Israel
       grew  up  with  a  Jewish  father,  said  he                                             point to a key moment that crystallized  President Benjamin Netanyahu’s push
       was not out to justify Hamas’ brutal at-                                                 a shift in sympathies toward the Pales- to  overhaul  the  country’s  judiciary,
       tack on Israel – but to highlight suffer-                                                tinians.                      which drew massive protests from crit-
       ing he views as rooted in decades of un-                                                    For Gross, it came after enrolling at  ics  who  maintained  it  would  under-
       just Israeli policies toward Palestinians.                                               Butler University in 2016, where pro- mine Israel's democratic institutions.
         Just across the street lined with po-                                                  Palestinian groups such as Students for   A  recent  Pew  study  found  younger
       lice, 30-year-old Max Profeta perched                                                    Justice  in  Palestine  and  Jewish  Voice  Jews were more likely to give Netanya-
       on the steps of a towering war memo-                                                     for  Peace  offered  a  perspective  he  hu a poor rating than their parents and
       rial in a yarmulke. His sign read “Stop                                                  hadn’t often heard growing up.  grandparents and less likely to believe Is-
       Jihad  Now!”  Dozens  of  others  waved                                                     “My dad’s side of the family is Jew- rael’s government had made a sincere ef-
       Israeli flags or held posters or photos of                                               ish.  As  a  kid,  I  celebrated  Hanukkah  fort toward peace with the Palestinians.
       people kidnapped or possibly killed by                                                   with  my  grandparents  and  we  lit  the   Despite  the  rising  death  toll
       Hamas.                                                                                   menorah,”  he  said.  “But  I  didn’t  pay  among  Palestinians  amid  Israel’s
         The  real  estate  professional,  who                                                  much attention to the state of the Israe- counter-offensive  against  Hamas  in
       has  friends  in  Israel  forced  to  spend  found  that,  unlike  older  genera- ber Jewish community. For some, the  li-Palestinian conflict prior to college.”  Gaza, Gross thinks the nature of the
       terrifying hours in safe rooms or who  tions who remain more sympathet- attack caused them to gut-check their   He  began  to  see  Israeli  policies  as  Hamas attack is likely to shift some
       were  called  into  military  service,  re- ic  to  Israel,  millennials  are  almost  own beliefs.  lopsided, unfair and oppressive for Pal- younger  people’s  attitudes  toward
       jected any efforts to blame Israeli poli- evenly  split  on  whether  they  align   Maya Simon, a 27-year-old teacher  estinians – including those in Gaza, the  Israel.  It  felt  strange,  he  said,  to  be
       cies for an attack in which Palestinian  more  with  Israelis  or  Palestinians.  who is part of an Indianapolis Jewish  strip of land blockaded by Israel since  demonstrating across from people in
       militants targeted civilians, slaughtered  Limited  data  suggested  that  mem- young professionals group, said she has  Hamas took power in 2007 – and a key  the  Jewish  community.  But  he  also
       music festival attendees and kidnapped  bers  of  the  younger  Generation  Z  long been critical of Israeli policies in  driver in the decades-long conflict.  thinks  it’s  possible  to  oppose  injus-
       families. And he argued that Israel has  hold similar views.  regard to Palestinians.       For Rachel Leininger, 32, an India- tices against Palestinian people while
       worked to help the Palestinian people.  The  situation  can  be  particularly   Simon said in recent days she’s been  napolis mother who also attended the  rejecting the militants’ violence.
         Though the street separating them  complex  for  some  young  American  unsettled  by  difficult  conversations,  demonstration  Thursday,  it  was  the   “I  do  feel  conflicted,”  he  said.  “I
       was narrow, the gulf in their perspec- Jews, who came of age or raised fami- unsure how to respond to progressive  research  she  did  while  considering  think about the lives lost on either side.
       tives couldn’t have been wider.  lies in an era of social media, renewed  friends who say, “Well, you know, it’s to  a  birthright  trip  to  Israel  during  col- And especially with the taking of hos-
         Last  weekend’s  surprise  attack  has  protests  over  racial  and  social  justice  be expected.”  lege, digging into concerns she hadn’t  tages and the reports of potential exe-
       highlighted divides that are the sharp- and  concern  about  democracy  in  the   Since the attacks, she’s become far  learned in Hebrew school or from old- cutions and that kind of thing. I mean,
       est among such US millennials, those  US and in Israel, where some maintain  more  supportive  of  Israel,  she  said  –  er generations.  I think that’s horrible.”
       born  between  1980  and  2000,  whose  close ties.         even as she worries the attack will set   “I got very turned off,” said Leini-  Still,  he  added:  “It’s  important  to
       sympathy  toward  Palestinians  has   Tensions  over  the  conflict  rippled  back the cause of Palestinian rights.  nger, who went on to advocate for Pal- draw  attention  to  the  root  causes”  of
       grown in recent years.        across  America  this  week,  including   “Internally,  I’m  struggling  a  lot,”  estinian rights.  the larger struggles for Palestinians.
         A Gallup poll released in March  in Indianapolis’ roughly 18,000-mem- she said.           Eva Borgwardt, political director of   (Continued on page 23)
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