From Gaza to UCLA, Israel Faces Multi-Front War

by Ari Lieberman


As Operation Defensive Edge enters its 14th day and Israeli forces mount an intensive counterinsurgency campaign against a cowardly, genocidal Islamist enemy bent on terror and destruction, a different war of sorts is shaping up across the Atlantic in America’s universities. UCLA, a university that prides itself on tolerance and diversity has instead, turned into a bastion of intolerance and hate where Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of Israel are subjected to a relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation.

Anti-Semitism on college campuses is nothing new. San Francisco State University for example, employs a university professor who advocates violence against Israel and meets with overseas terrorists at university and taxpayer expense. But UCLA takes Jew-hatred to new levels. Groups like the Muslim Student Union, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) are allowed to run amok, creating a campus environment of fear and intimidation where an all out assault has been waged against pro-Israel students. Meanwhile, the ostrich-like administration has placed its collective head in the sand pretending that all is normal and allows outrage after outrage to continue with contemptible stoicism.

The latest indignation involves UCLA student Avi Oved, a Jewish undergraduate and economics major. Oved, while serving as vice president of the UCLA student government, opposed a bitterly contested divestment resolution that targeted the Jewish State. The resolution ultimately failed and this proved too much to bear for UCLA’s designated campus brownshirts who then embarked on their Jihad to preclude Oved from serving as UC Board of Regent student representative.

Aside from being Jewish, Oved’s only crime was his opposition to an anti-Semitic resolution sponsored by a plethora of hate groups including Students for Justice in Palestine. Ironically, the divestment resolution was aimed at the only democracy in the Middle East. Since there was no legitimate reason to prevent Oved’s appointment, SJP and their cohorts came up with contrived grounds that smacked of desperation. They alleged that Oved’s campus political campaigns were supported by a donor who backs Israeli causes.

Aside from being an outright fabrication, there is no rule in any UCLA student charter or handbook that prohibits receipt of such support. Nevertheless, Oved was required to defend himself to the UC Board of Regents against these bogus charges not unlike the way innocent Americans were subjected to witch-hunts and forced to defend themselves during the age of McCarthyism.

At the UC regent hearing, Oved faced an avalanche of pro-Palestinian, anti-Semitic shills who attempted to influence the proceeding with their numbers. Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) executive director Sam Levine and other pro-Israel representatives faced off against the hostile crowd and spoke in support of Oved noting that the objections to Oved’s appointment amounted to nothing more that a smear campaign that is “solely focused on destroying the Jewish State, and intimidating and harassing Jewish students on campus.”

Levine also noted that Jewish students at UCLA as well as pro-Israel supporters are subjected to a persistent campaign of violence and intimidation by Muslim and other anti-Israel groups who aim to discourage pro-Israel activity.

Part of this effort includes forcing prospective student government members to sign a pledge that they would not travel to Israel on trips sponsored by pro-Israel groups. The SJP also tried to invalidate the anti-divestment vote of two student government members claiming that they had traveled on such sponsored trips. These students then had to defend themselves before a formal UCLA judicial inquiry. While they ultimately prevailed, the students had to expend enormous effort to defend themselves against contrived charges, which affected their studies.

Ultimately, responsibility for the campaign of hate and atmosphere of fear that prevails on the campus of UCLA rests with the UCLA administration. Under the guise of allowing freedom of expression and unrestricted exchange ideas, the administration has fostered an atmosphere of intolerance where the only ideas that are allowed to be expressed are those which openly espouse hate and bigotry.

Israel now faces a multi-front war where it battles rockets and terror tunnels from Gaza while at the same time it must confront anti-Semitic inspired delegitimization efforts spearheaded by the SJP and their fascist partners in crime. The failure of the SJP to advance the divestment resolution and torpedo Oved’s appointment as UC regent student representative are positive steps in the right direction but the battle against tyranny, oppression and those who would otherwise wish to see Israel destroyed continues.


Ari Lieberman

Source: http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/ari-lieberman/from-gaza-to-ucla-israel-faces-multi-front-war/

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