Page 5 - Pakistan Link - October 20, 2023

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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