Joe Biden’s support for Israel in the immediate aftermath of Hamas terrorists’ brutal October 7th attacks has run smack into the long-simmering anti-Israel attitude among radical college and university students, which has now metastasized into something larger and more dangerous that demands a response from Biden. The question before him now is simple – what should he do?
That the intifada has arrived on America’s college and university campuses – and with it, a rash of antisemitic attacks – is beyond doubt, and clear to see. From California to New York, from Michigan to Florida, protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza (in response to the terrorist attacks of October 7) and the Biden administration’s continued military assistance to Israel have crossed the line from First Amendment-protected demonstrations of support for a political position into illegal conduct, including obstructing traffic, unlawful assembly and trespassing, and even assault.
Many of the activists are coordinating their actions. A week and a half ago, on the very Saturday that Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles against Israel in the Islamic Republic’s first-ever large-scale direct assault on Israel, pro-Palestinian activists met in Chicago under the umbrella of the “March on the DNC Coalition” to discuss their plans to use the August Chicago Democratic National Convention as a platform for protest. When news of Iran’s strike against Israel was announced, the audience cheered and chanted,........