Liberals Can't Let Pro-Hamas Groups Sit At The Table

The Israel-Hamas war forces us to reassess freedom of speech

Liberals are having an identity crisis, and it’s a stunning one. This isn’t an argument between defund the police (reallocating funding to other civil services) or abolish the police altogether. This is an argument over human rights, which are almost always the center of a liberal’s debate with conservatives, not other liberals. I never thought I’d see the day that self-identifying, performative liberals are openly antisemitic. Some seem to have dropped the we-love-everyone act.

Pro-Palestinian rallies are the most shocking example of liberal hypocrisy in a long time. Liberal Arts colleges are known for their focus on humanities, literature, science, history, and art. Though I respect college students and their beliefs, I recognize they are 18-21 year old kids trying on ultra liberal personas to see how they fit. I don’t take it too seriously when they protest for all vegan cafes on campus. Those liberal students go on to become, for the most part, rational and reasonable adults.

Traditionally, liberals like myself don’t believe in violence as a means to an end, but accept that it often is. Liberals support and grieve the victims of unjust assault, like Ukrainians and even the misinformed, young, naive Russian boys who lost their lives fighting a war they don’t understand fed propaganda of an incompetent war criminal.

Liberals revere Holocaust survivors (and non-survivors). But liberals don’t call for “death to Nazis.” Celebrating terrorism is antithetical to my worldview, and I believe that of most liberals. Rather, we like to see today’s Neo-Nazis, skinheads, Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, Incels, etc. in prison where they belong. Torturing and executing them only perpetuates this cycle.

Just like the conservatives have their pillow guy and Proud Boys, all groups have fringe members that we don’t sit with at lunch. We have ACAB (all cops are bad) and Rashida Tlaib claiming cover under our umbrella.

The recent college activism on prestigious campuses, however, is a whole new level of “fringe” that liberals and/or democrats cannot ignore. The stance they so boldly boast is shocking in its inhumanity, ignorance, naivety, and reprehensible rhetoric. These “liberal” students think they are protesting colonialism and mistreatment of Palestinians, but it’s not that simple. I’m having trouble figuring out where on the left these kids (and some professors) belong on the spectrum. I think they don’t. Nor do they fit on the conservative one. We definitely don’t sit with them at lunch.

In September, UPenn students held an event called Palestine Writes Literature. Sounds great, I’m interested in adding Palestinian literature to my queue. However, many of the invited speakers have a history of antisemitic remarks. Over 2,000 outraged donors (some worth billions) demanded the university take accountability for the event, while UPenn was trying to hide behind freedom of speech.

Their website now has a code of conduct for free speech and guidelines on free expression. I have never seen an FAQ about freedom of speech on any website ever. Especially because private institutions are allowed to condemn racism, sexism, antisemitism, and any other beliefs that go against their core values. So by defending antisemitism as “free speech,” I wonder; is antisemitism, indeed, a closeted core value at Penn?

Those donors are donating only $1 per year until UPenn president Liz Magill steps down due to her pitiful response to the Israel-Hamas war on the heels of the Palestine Writes Literature event.

In addition to Harvard and other top universities, Wellesley College students have totally lost their way. Written by dormitory RAs under their official capacity as school employees, wrote the following letter:

Hello all, As of October 18th, 2023, the Palestinian-Israeli war has cost the lives of some 3,478 Palestinians and wounded 12,000. Israel's apartheid against Palestinians, characterized by the displacement of 600,000 individuals, the dissemination of genocidal rhetoric by the Israeli government, and the illegal occupation of native Palestinian lands, have left our hearts heavy. With all historical, political, and territorial aspects considered, Israel's zionist government needs to be condemned. Furthermore, individuals who endorse the forced removal of Palestinians should be recognized as supporters of colonization. Munger Hall stands in strong condemnation of Israel's actions and those who have supported their actions against Palestinians. We firmly believe that there should be no space, no consideration, and no support for Zionism within the Wellesley College community. In accordance with these beliefs, we plan on donating to a reputable organization that provides aid to the children and families whose lives have been destroyed. We will vote for the amount and organization in a future HoCo meeting. While Munger res staff want to support and make space for you through this devastating time, we also recognize that we may not be fully equipped to do so in the way each individual needs. Therefore, we'd like to point you to The Stone Center and The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) that may be able to help. ORSL is currently putting together processing spaces specifically for this issue, they may send an email soon regarding that. We care about each and every one of you, and please feel free to reach out with any ideas of how we can best support you during these difficult times.

Thank you, Munger Res Staff

–Moi Nee she/her Class of 2024

After the expected backlash, Moi Nee was advised to apologize to the campus community.

Date: Fri, Oct 20, 2023 at 12:41 PM
Subject: addressing the email I sent last night
To: Munger Fall 2023 All Hall <munger-fall-2023-all-hall@wellesley.edu>

Hello all,

I would like to address the email that was sent last night on behalf of the Munger HP and 4 Munger RAs.

We regret any harm our words have caused to our residents, parents, alumni, or others in the community. We are also truly sorry if it has dissuaded anyone from coming to us as RAs or an HP. We overstepped our roles as reslife staff in making this statement and apologize for that.

The views expressed do not reflect the views of Paula Queenan (our CD), Cathy Bickel, the Office of Residential Life and Student Housing, Wellesley administration, the Munger community as a whole, or anyone else in the college.

If you'd like to process this situation with other resources on campus, we would like to continue pointing you to The Stone Center and The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL).

We want our residents to know that while we never intended so, we understand how making this statement has caused hurt to specific populations in our community. We as a staff are committed to rebuilding trust and repairing relationships in the Munger community.

If anybody has felt affected by the message sent last night, please feel free to reach out to us to talk. We hope to hold a community space for Munger residents soon regarding this issue.

All my best, –Moi

“Sorry you were offended?” Is that your takeaway, too? Why and how could a single Jewish student at Wellesley College trust that Moi and her cronies have any interest in “rebuilding trust and repairing relationships” after dehumanizing them and suggesting there is “no space, no consideration, and no support for Zionism within the Wellesley College community.” In other words: go away, Jews.

Not once were the Jewish Israeli victims mentioned. Not once did they mention this is the largest event to eradicate Jews since the Holocaust. I wonder if Moi was this outspoken about the Palestinian plight before October 7 when Hamas tortured and executed 1,300 Jews and kidnapped hundreds of hostages. I wonder, too, if Moi were a young adult during WWII, if she would’ve supported the Nazi party or condemned them. Which is it, Moi? You can’t have it both ways.

It is particularly unnerving that the liberal college students have latched on to this issue. Where were they when the US sent missile attacks to Syria six years ago? Ah yes, at sailing camp on Martha’s Vineyard.

Here in the 21st century, Americans are learning the insidious truths behind colonization. We know now that “manifest destiny” is a lie. We acknowledge we live on stolen land. We know enslaved Africans did not benefit from their imprisonment, even if they did learn blacksmithing or whatever.

So many of us, conservative and liberal alike, recognize that Israel’s leadership is not innocent, and that a long, complex history of colonization, subjugation, and violence cannot be ignored. However, if Hamas came to the US and raped, burned, disfigured, beheaded, maimed, and killed American children and babies, we would unite in racist profiling, as we did post 9-11, against any brown skinned person with an Arab sounding name. We’d rally behind our military and expect a damn good war, while insisting innocent civilians be spared. Americans don’t take any shit, but most of us aren’t sadistic sociopaths. Just like the Jews, western democracies are also enemies to Hamas because this isn’t about Palestinian rights, it’s about Iranian power.

While it’s easy to condense this war to Hamas vs. Israel, that is an over simplified view. Iran, which seeks to take over the Middle-East so that it can control oil prices (and destroy democracy while they’re at it) is backing Hamas. “Iran-Israel relations have been in a largely downward spiral since 1979, when Iran’s new Islamist regime embraced an ideology that combined radical Third-Worldism, anti-Imperialism, Arab leftist radicalism, and some Muslim antisemitism… Israel was seen as a Western colonial outpost and Zionism as a version of imperialism. At the time, many Arab governments also rejected Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and radicals opposed to Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel formed a so-called Rejectionist Front.”

Hamas cares no more for the Palestinians than Jews, so these calls for anti-colonialism from top schools like Wellesley is so remarkably narrow minded it’s almost comical. When Hamas attacked Israel, it did so knowing that Israel would retaliate, as any country would. Just like Isis, Hamas hides in underground bunkers below hospitals, schools, anywhere large groups of Palestinians are. So if Israel sends a missile to take out Hamas leadership, there will be the unfortunate civilian attrition, and backlash against Israel for war crimes. There is no “good” choice, but to protect their sovereignty and democracy, just like heavily-supported Ukraine is doing.

As a liberal who believes in human rights, and free speech, I believe the Palestinians deserve to live dignified lives with a government that doesn’t subjugate them or, worse, use them as human shields. But I also recognize that if Israel doesn’t strike back, Hamas has more time to strategize and build strength with its allies including Iran-backed Hezbollah. “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Oct. 22 that, if Hezbollah opened a war front with Israel, it would lead to counter-strikes of ‘unimaginable’ magnitude on Lebanon.” This has nothing to do with free speech, but the very real extreme danger these free-speakers put Jews in all over the world. When institutions like UPenn don’t explicitly condone this type of speech on their campus, it sends the message that it is acceptable, and presents real danger to Jewish families and communities.

It is because I am a liberal that I believe in the greater good, and democracy must prevail. I don’t condone war or innocent civilian deaths, but not condoning it doesn’t mean I can control it. Ignoring unsolicited attacks by enemy nations doesn’t make it go away.

Denying Jews the same freedoms and privileges as pro-Palestinians demand for Palestinians is illogical. It is so far off the chart for both liberals and conservatives, I don’t know what to call this faction of “activists,” other than ignorant m*****f*****s. Truly, these “liberal progressive democrats” or whatever they want to call themselves are no different than the Neo-Nazi rioters in Charlottesville. The irony is the pro-Palestinian viewpoints are closer to MAGA autocracy than anything liberal, progressive, or democrat.

Unlike the Republican Party that chose not to distance itself from MAGA authoritarianism, I am relieved liberal/progressive/democrats and conservatives are rejecting these students as liberals, progressives, or democrats. The terribly misguided and misinformed “pro-Palestine” groups are not for Palestine, they are for Hamas, whether they know it or not, and the colonization of the Middle-East by Iran. As Moi wrote in her letter, she is an antisemite. She wants to cancel the Jews. She and all of the other overly educated moron students are about to find themselves canceled by the very group they claim to be a part of.