The "Middle East and Terrorism" Blog was created in order to supply information about the implication of Arab countries and Iran in terrorism all over the world. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists.
From the Ethics of the Fathers: "He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."
US official to 'Post': Strike on Houthis a message to Iran • US President Donald Trump: Houthis, your time is up, hell will rain down upon you
Footage released by Houthi Military Media says to show a
launch of missile, which the Houthis say they fired at Israel, at an
unknown location in this screen grab obtained from a handout video
released on December 19, 2024. (photo credit: HOUTHI MILITARY MEDIA/via REUTERS)
The United States struck Houthi targets in Yemen
on Saturday evening in a message to Iran, at a time when the
administration is proposing to open negotiations on the nuclear program,
a US official told the Jerusalem Post.
The
air and naval strikes, which were reportedly ordered by US President
Donald Trump, hit the Houthis's radars, air defenses, and missile and
drone systems, the New York Times reported.
"Today,
I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and
powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They
have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism
against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones," Trump wrote
on his Truth Social account.
Trump also slammed his predecessor, former president Joe Biden for his "pathetically weak" handling of the Houthi threat.
"Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft,
and targeted our Troops and Allies. These relentless assaults have cost
the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same
time, putting innocent lives at risk," Trump stressed. "The Houthi
attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use
overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. The
Houthis have choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways
of the World, grinding vast swaths of Global Commerce to a halt, and
attacking the core principle of Freedom of Navigation upon which
International Trade and Commerce depends."
The president concluded the post with a message to the Houthis and to Iran.
Donald Trump: Houthis, your time is up, starting today
"To
all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP,
STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING
YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!," he wrote. "To Iran: Support for the Houthi
terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People,
their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in
Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE,
because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice
about it!"
The strikes aimed to open international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, which have been disrupted by the Houthis for months.
The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV previously said on Saturday that an
attack targeted the Yemeni capital Sana'a, without providing further
details.
The Houthis's attacks
The
Iran-backed Houthi terror group paused attacks on Israel, which it
began in support of Hamas, during the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. However,
the Houthis announced last week that they would recommence attacks in response to Israel's blockade on aid in Gaza.
Tal Shoham to Hamas captors: "I said, ‘I can’t control whether you kill me or not,’ and I raised my hands — but I refused to kneel. ‘If you want to kill me, kill me, but you will not execute me like ISIS.’"
FOX NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Buried 100 feet
underground, with barely enough air to breathe and no light, and sharing
a space measuring just six feet by three feet with three other men,
recently released hostage Tal Shoham shared with Fox News Digital his
harrowing story of survival.
Shoham was forcibly taken from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023.
His wife and children, ages four and eight, were also kidnapped that
day, but he didn’t know that when he was thrown into the trunk of a car
and driven into Gaza by Hamas terrorists. He didn’t even know whether
his family was alive; hoping to save them, he surrendered to the
terrorists just before they set fire to the house where his family was
hiding.
He would spend the eight-and-a-half months in an
underground tunnel and another five months captive in five different
houses deep inside Gaza, where his captors kept him shackled, starved
him and deprived him of basic human comforts.
Tal
Shoham sitting next to his wife, Adi, as he holds up a poster of his
two friends, Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who are still hostages
in Gaza. (Georges Schneider)
But
he gave himself a mission: He was determined not to lose his humanity.
Even in moments when he feared that he was facing death, he tried to
stay focused. "I am not a victim. Even if this ends, I will end it with
my head high, looking death in the eyes. They won’t break me, and I will
not surrender to self-pity. We are stronger than the other side," he
said.
It has been three weeks since he came home, and he is ready
to speak. Kibbutz Be’eri is just nine kilometers — about five-and-a-half
miles — from Gaza,
but that short distance is practically an ocean between what he
describes as two worlds. "Half-an-hour’s drive, two separate worlds," he
said. "The first — unbelievably surreal, cruel beyond reason. And just
30 minutes away [on this side of the border], a world of sanity, logic,
dignity and compassion."
He remembers every detail of his 505 days in captivity. Tal wants to tell his story for the sake of the two fellow captives who remain behind,
starving, abused and at constant risk of death. "Just as someone
emerges from a womb alive, I emerged from the tunnel I was held in and
was born again," he says. But the men he calls his "brothers," Evyatar
David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, are still held underground. "I can’t sleep
at night knowing they are still there," he says.
October 7, 2023
Israeli
hostages Tal Shoham and Averu Mengistu are flanked by Palestinian Hamas
terrorists as they stand on a stage during their release in Rafah in
the southern Gaza Strip on Feb. 22. (Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images)
Tal
and his wife and children had come from the north of Israel to Kibbutz
Be’eri to spend the Simchat Torah holiday with his wife’s parents and
were in the home when the terror attack began. He said everyone entered
the safe room, and as the sounds of gunfire drew closer, they tried to
barricade themselves inside. But the terrorists pried open the window,
and Tal feared they might toss in a grenade if the family did not
surrender. On the same street, the terrorists set fire to every other
home, burning the people inside alive.
"I went out and raised my
hands," he said. "A man with murder in his eyes led me onto the road and
to a vehicle. I saw about 40 heavily armed terrorists. Some of them
were filming me on their phones. I was in shock — there was an entire
battalion of Hamas terrorists inside our kibbutz, bodies of people I
knew who were murdered on the ground, and they are laughing, unafraid."
Former Israeli hostage Tal Shoham standing in the destroyed house of his in-laws on Kibbutz Be'eri.(Georges Schneider)
The
terrorists threw him into the trunk of a car and drove him across the
border, into Gaza. There, a crowd gathered. "Teenagers with sticks ran
toward me, trying to beat me from all sides," he says. Taking him from
the car, his captors pointed a rifle at him, ready, he believed, to
execute him, and tried to force him to kneel. "I said, ‘I can’t control
whether you kill me or not,’ and I raised my hands — but I refused to
kneel. ‘If you want to kill me, kill me, but you will not execute me
like ISIS.’"
He was then paraded through the streets in what he
described as a "victory march." "They were shouting, ‘Soldier! Pig!
Zionist!’ A mob gathered around, boys with wooden clubs trying to hit
me. But I just waved and smiled. I didn’t show fear. ‘You’ve captured
me, but you won’t see terror in my eyes.’"
34 Days of Isolation
He
was first taken to the home of a family, where he was held, alone and
always shackled, for 34 days. Though he was allowed to periodically
shower, the captivity was otherwise severe.
His food was strictly
rationed. "For the first three days, I had pita bread. Then, they
stopped giving me that," he says. "Food supplies dwindled. Some days, I
would receive three spoons of avocado and three dates, or half an orange
from a tree in the yard."
But the worst torment was not knowing
whether his family was alive. "I am 40 years old. Never in my life have I
experienced suffering like this. The isolation, being alone with
relentless thoughts —that was worse than even extreme hunger."
To
endure, he made a heartbreaking decision. "I had to accept that my
family was dead," Tal says. "I sat on the floor and imagined myself at
their funeral. I stood in front of a grave — one large for my wife, and
two small for my children — and I eulogized each of them. I thanked them
for the time we had. I told them to move on. I sobbed but didn’t let my
captors see me cry. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done — burying
my family in my mind."
Tal Shoham stands in the burned-out house of his in-laws in Kibbutz Be'eri. (Georges Schneider)
505 Days In Hell
On
the 34th day of his captivity, Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal were
brought to the home. The Hamas terrorists tortured them daily, hitting
them, denying them food while eating in front of them. The hostages were
allowed only about 300 calories a day — Shoham's weight dropped from
174 pounds to 110 pounds when he was released — and speaking was
forbidden. "We couldn’t move from our beds or talk. We whispered
everything," he said.
Then came some glimmer of hope. On the 50th
day of his captivity, Tal received proof of life from his wife — a
letter telling him she and the children had been held hostage but were
being released. "I read it, my hands shaking," he said. "The most
important thing had happened — my family was safe. I didn’t need to be a
father and husband protecting them anymore. Now, I could focus on my
war, the one I knew how to fight, the one for survival."
Evyatar David is still being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. (Courtesy: Bring Them Home Now)
The Tunnel
By June 2024, Tal, Guy and Evyatar were moved by an ambulance that Hamas used for
discreetly transporting hostages, to an underground tunnel, where there
already was another captive, Omer Wenkert. There were four mattresses
on the floor and a hole in the ground for a toilet. The space was
illuminated by a single, dim lightbulb. "It took me weeks to stop
feeling like the walls were closing in, to adapt to the oxygen
deprivation," Tal says.
They were given just 300 milliliters of
water a day — a little more than 10 ounces. They could use it to either
drink or wash their hands. Rice was all they had to eat. Months passed.
They were beaten, monitored by cameras, randomly deprived of food and
sleep. The guards were Hamas tunnel diggers — digging every day, even as
war raged above. "Hamas never stopped digging tunnels," Tal Says. "Not
for a single day."
The conditions were so bad that both he and
Evyatar developed severe infections. But it would be months before a
doctor would come to see them. "My leg turned blue, yellow, and purple
with internal bleeding," He recalls. "They gave us all blood thinners,
fearing we might develop clots from prolonged immobility. Eventually,
they realized the issue was malnutrition and provided us with vitamin
supplements for seven days. It tasted like dog food, but it dramatically
improved our condition."
Guy Gilboa-Dalal is still being held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. (Courtesy: Bring Them Home Now)
But
the abuse continued. A new guard arrived, even more violent than the
previous ones. "He made some of us kneel like dogs and beat us," he
says. "He would come in screaming that we were filthy Jews, hit us, and
then 10 minutes later, he would smile and bring food."
Then, what seemed like a miracle. Tal and Omer were named as part of the hostage-release deal in
February. When he was led outside after many months underground, still
blindfolded, he felt moisture on his face. "Is it rain?" he asked. "No,"
his captors responded, "’It is dew.’ And I realized, my name, Tal, is
‘dew’ in Hebrew. I felt the morning dew on my skin."
There were
humiliations to come before he was handed over to the Red Cross and
returned to Israel: a procession on a stage in the heart of Rafah where
he was forced to repeat Hamas propaganda. But he said he didn’t care —
he was going home. When he arrived in Israel, he was taken to the Re’im
base, where his wife, Adi, and their two children, Nave and Yahel, were
waiting for him. "It was a dream come true, yet it still felt like a
dream," Tal says. "It took a few days to fully grasp that it was real.
It was hard to take in. The emotions flooded me, like I was floating
above everything."
And there was tragic news to absorb. Eleven
members of Tal’s family were kidnapped or murdered on October 7. Adi’s
father, Avshalom Haran, and two uncles, Lilach and Evyatar Kipnis, were
killed. His mother-in-law, Shoshan Haran, was taken, along with two
other relatives — Sharon Avigdori and her daughter, Noam Avigdori — who
were later released in the first hostage deal. Two other relatives who
had come from the United States to celebrate a birthday, 59-year-old
Judith Raanan, and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie, were also
kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
Tal Shoham reunites with family, some of whom were also taken captive on Oct. 7.(IDF)
And
there was joy. During his captivity, four new babies were born into the
family. "Among us, the Jewish hostages, there was purity," he said.
"There was dignity. The terrorists brought in whatever horrors they
wanted, inflicted whatever cruelty and pain they could, imposed their
inhumanity on us. But within our space, we preserved our inner
cleanliness, our humanity between one another. And that was crucial to
making it out unbroken."
Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken
her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and
Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship
for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.
"The Sunni states are waking up to a simple truth: the main obstacle to peace is not Israel. Rather, it is the so-called Palestinians and their genocidal fantasies, like a perpetual cancer. Remove that factor from the equation, and Israel and the Arab world can thrive together. More Arab leaders are starting to see that. Hopefully, the rest of the world will, too." — Igal Hecht.
"[T]hanks to Hatzalah, we
obtained 50 hours of raw material from ambulance teams. These first
responders documented everything. Every horror, every burned-out car,
every bullet-ridden body, from the moment the attack began." — Igal
Hecht, director of The Killing Roads, a documentary that investigates Gaza's jihadi pogrom against Israel on October 7, 2023.
"The average Canadian gets his information from a publicly funded
broadcaster that pumps out anti-Israel propaganda daily, much like the
BBC. These journalists take Hamas press releases as gospel and issue
weak retractions only after the damage has been done. We've seen it
repeatedly, from The New York Times parroting Hamas casualty figures to the BBC recently producing outright propaganda films." — Igal Hecht.
"If this unchecked immigration and tolerance for Islamist
extremism continue, Canada will follow the path of the UK, France, and
the Netherlands. In 10-15 years, we shall see the same no-go zones, the
same normalization of antisemitism, and the same erosion of Western
values. That is the trajectory unless people wake up." — Igal Hecht.
"The Sunni states are waking up to a simple truth: the main
obstacle to peace is not Israel. Rather, it is the so-called
Palestinians and their genocidal fantasies, like a perpetual cancer.
Remove that factor from the equation, and Israel and the Arab world can
thrive together. More Arab leaders are starting to see that. Hopefully,
the rest of the world will, too." — Igal Hecht.
"Easter and Christmas in Israel serve as testaments to the
reality that Christian minorities here can observe their holiest days
without fear. This is something that is virtually impossible anywhere
else in the Middle East." — Igal Hecht.
"[T]hanks to Hatzalah, we obtained 50 hours of raw material
from ambulance teams. These first responders documented everything.
Every horror, every burned-out car, every bullet-ridden body, from the
moment the attack began." — Igal Hecht. Pictured: A rescue team from
United Hatzalah evacuates a wounded person near the city of Sderot,
Israel on October 7, 2023. (Photo by Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty
Images)
In 1999, Igal Hecht, an Israeli based in Toronto, Canada, created
Chutzpa Productions Inc. His award-winning films have been described as
controversial and thought provoking. They have dealt with human rights
issues as well as pop culture. Throughout his 20-year career, Hecht has
been involved in the production of more than 50 documentary films and
more than 20 television series. His work has been screened
internationally on Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC, Documentary Channel, CBC,
YES-TV (Canada) and HBO Europe, among other outlets.
Grégoire Canlorbe:The Killing Roads investigates Gaza's jihadi pogrom against Israel on October 7, 2023. How did you gather the testimonies?
Igal Hecht: When October 7th unfolded, I began collecting and
archiving every piece of footage that emerged—raw, unfiltered, and often
horrifying. As the days passed and the scale of the atrocities became
undeniable, it became clear that a film was needed.
In November, Haaretz and The New York Times published
articles about the massacres, but when I began speaking to survivors, it
seemed clear that, aside from Israeli TV, no one was truly exposing
what happened. On Routes 232 and 24 alone, Palestinian terrorists,
Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and civilians from Gaza murdered around 250
innocent people.
A few months in, my trusted collaborator, Lior Cohen, and I set off
to Israel. In early 2024, we spent a month filming in and around those
routes, Sderot, the Nova festival grounds, kibbutzim, and cities like
Sderot and Ofakim. Ultimately, we focused on seven stories.
We incorporated footage from survivors, Hamas propaganda videos,
security footage, and, thanks to Hatzalah, we obtained 50 hours of raw
material from ambulance teams. These first responders documented
everything. Every horror, every burned-out car, every bullet-ridden
body, from the moment the attack began.
This was not just a massacre; it was a Nazi-style atrocity committed by Palestinian terrorists. The Killing Roads unfiltered documentation. It must be seen so that no one can ever deny or rewrite what took place.
On October 7th, Palestinian terrorists and civilians from Gaza
committed a mini-Holocaust against Jews in Israel. They did not "just"
murder—they raped, burned, and mutilated women, infants and men because
they were Jews. If that was not enough, their progressive and Islamist
sympathizers in Europe, the U.S., Canada, and Australia also celebrated
the bloodshed. That is the grotesque reality Jews around the world face
today.
Canlorbe: You had already made documentaries on genocidal
attacks such as those in Holocaust, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and
the Yezidi slaughters. How did it feel, this time?
Hecht: This time, it was personal. My family lives in that
region. I had family members in Sderot fighting off terrorists. I lost
brave colleagues. The victims were not nameless figures from history
books; they were my people.
What made it worse was the reaction in Canada. People I had thought
were friends, colleagues I had worked with, openly supported or excused
the butchery. October 7th stripped away the masks. It revealed a
deep-seated antisemitism that had always been there, just beneath the
surface.
Making this film was not just about documenting history; it was a
mission. It was my way of saying f*** you to every person who tried to
justify, minimize, or celebrate this slaughter. That is why I made The Killing Roads
freely available online. Unlike many filmmakers who compromise to
appease broadcasters—like not calling Hamas "terrorists"—I would not
"sanitize" the truth.
This film shows with clarity what Israelis endured that day without
concern for political correctness or the fragile sensibilities of those
who sympathize with murderers.
Canlorbe: In Canada, what is the average perception of Israel,
the Hamas (and similar organizations like the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine), as well as US President Donald Trump's
Middle-East policy?
Hecht: Under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada has become
the leading hub for support for Islamic terrorism in North America.
Sadly, that seems to be the fact.
The very day of the October 7th massacre, Muslim activists and their
antisemitic allies flooded the streets of Toronto and Montreal, and
chanted in Arabic for the extermination of Jews. I filmed it. Nothing
happened. Apparently, Canadian police cannot find a single Arabic
translator.
From the start, the Trudeau government's priority appeared not to be
justice—it was appeasement. Canada, like the UK and much of Europe,
chosen to "bend the knee" to Islamic jihadi fundamentalism.
The average Canadian gets their information from a publicly funded
broadcaster that pumps out anti-Israel propaganda daily, much like the
BBC. These journalists take Hamas press releases as gospel and issue
weak retractions only after the damage has been done. We've seen it
repeatedly, from The New York Times parroting Hamas casualty figures to the BBC recently producing outright propaganda films.
The result? A 630% rise in antisemitic attacks in Canada. Synagogues
vandalized. Jews beaten on the streets. Jewish students in Toronto,
Montreal, and Vancouver physically blocked from attending school—just as
in Nazi Germany. Yet, the media downplays it, and politicians look the
other way.
If this unchecked immigration and tolerance for Islamist extremism
continue, Canada will follow the path of the UK, France, and the
Netherlands. In 10-15 years, we shall see the same no-go zones, the same
normalization of antisemitism, and the same erosion of Western values.
That is the trajectory unless people wake up.
Canlorbe: Do you see some impact of the Abraham Accords with
respect to the partnership between Israeli filmmaking and the movie
industry in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and other Sunni states?
Hecht: To be honest, I do not know. It is not my world.
What I do know is that the Abraham Accords were a game-changer, and
President Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for them. Of course, he
will not get one—Obama got his for ostensibly good intentions, while
Trump actually delivered peace. That tells you everything.
The Sunni states are waking up to a simple truth: the main obstacle
to peace is not Israel. Rather, it is the so-called Palestinians and
their genocidal fantasies, like a perpetual cancer. Remove that factor
from the equation, and Israel and the Arab world can thrive together.
More Arab leaders are starting to see that. Hopefully, the rest of the
world will, too.
Canlorbe: You wrote, produced, and shot Streets of Jerusalem and several other documentaries set in Jerusalem. How do you approach such a city cinematographically?
Hecht: Jerusalem is visually unparalleled. It is not just a
setting, it is a character. I've filmed there for 25 years, and there
isn't a corner of the city my team and I haven't explored. The aesthetic
contrast is breathtaking. The ancient architecture interwoven with the
modern, the energy of the people, the ever-present layers of history.
You can set up a camera in the Old City or Mahane Yehuda market and
capture something cinematic without even trying. Every frame tells a
story. It is why I keep going back.
Canlorbe: Please tell us about Easter in the Holy Land,
which covers Christian pilgrimages in the Land of Israel in the Easter
season. When it comes to conveying mystical experience, the movie is as
eloquent as a painting,
Hecht: Easter in the Holy Land is a feature-length documentary
(or a three-part series) that I worked on alongside the
cinematographers Lior Cohen and Gabriel Volcovich. We filmed across some
of the most sacred Christian sites: Bethlehem, Nazareth, the shores of
the Sea of Galilee, and, of course, Jerusalem, particularly the Old
City. The film is a visual and spiritual celebration of Easter, offering
audiences an intimate view of the deep significance of this holy season
in the very land where it all began. More than that, it highlights how
Christian pilgrims in Israel experience absolute religious freedom.
Despite the lies spread by far-right Christian antisemites and Arab
nationalist propagandists, Israel is the only country in the Middle East
where Christians can freely and safely celebrate their faith. In
contrast, throughout the surrounding region, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan,
Iraq, and the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, Christians face
persecution, intimidation, and violence. Yes, there have been isolated
incidents in Israel, and they are regrettable. But unlike in many other
places, here, those who commit crimes against Christians are arrested
and held accountable.
Ultimately, Easter and Christmas in Israel serve as testaments to the
reality that Christian minorities here can observe their holiest days
without fear. This is something that is virtually impossible anywhere
else in the Middle East.
Canlorbe: Do you plan to direct an equivalent documentary on Jewish and Muslim pilgrimages in the Holy Land?
Hecht: I haven't given that much thought, but it would be
fascinating to create a trilogy covering all three Abrahamic faiths. The
challenge, as always, is funding and securing a broadcaster willing to
take it on. People do not realize how difficult it is to produce content
that explores faith and religion, especially for mainstream television.
It is not impossible, but there is a definite bias against it. The
reality is that many networks shy away from religious content unless it
fits a specific agenda.
Canlorbe: What is your view about a film treatment of
Jerusalem in the time of the crusades? How do you assess, for instance,
Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven?
Hecht: Aesthetically, Kingdom of Heaven is a stunning
film. This is exactly what you would expect from a director like Ridley
Scott, with his massive budget and extraordinary craftsmanship. Beyond
that? It's all subjective. The film, like most historical dramas, takes
artistic liberties. But that is the nature of cinema, especially when
dealing with a time period as complex and politically charged as the
Crusades.
Canlorbe: In another recent documentary, The Jewish Shadow,
you address the condition of Ukrainian Jews in the 1970s, under Soviet
rule. What did you choose to highlight about their condition—and how it
has been evolving after the Soviet Union's fall?
Hecht:The Jewish Shadow, which was shot long before
the war in Ukraine, focuses on the life my parents lived under Soviet
rule. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about it. I told my parents we
were making a documentary about our family's roots, but in reality, I
pushed them to confront the antisemitism they endured. In the end, I
apologized to them for putting them through that.
Ukraine has a dark and undeniable history of antisemitism -- one that
still lingers today in certain parts of the country. But when the war
broke out, it complicated everything. My view of Ukraine is shaped by
generations of Jewish persecution, whereas my parents, despite
everything they went through, still have a deep attachment to the place.
They lived there. They had friends, careers, and a sense of home...
even if antisemitism was a constant shadow over their existence.
That, in many ways, encapsulates Jewish life in the Diaspora. We
integrate, contribute, and flourish; until we are reminded that, no
matter how much we belong, we will always be seen as different. Because
of that so-called "difference" in the minds of antisemites, the hatred
against us, to them, is justified. Or, as we are seeing now in places
like Canada and many parts of Europe even encouraged and celebrated.
The massacre of Alawites highlights the danger of radical Islam’s rise to power, Israeli officials and analysts warn.
Alawites cross the Nahr al-Kabir river, forming the
border between Syria's western coastal province and northern Lebanon in
the Hekr al-Daher area, fleeing sectarian violence in their heartland
along Syria's Mediterranean coast, on March 11, 2025. Photo by Fathi
al-Masri/AFP via Getty Images.
The indiscriminate slaughter of Alawite
civilians in Syria by Islamist gunmen affiliated with the country’s new
Sunni Muslim regime has led to urgent questions about the nature of the
government taking shape northeast of Israel.
“The mask has fallen. But let’s look at
things in a slightly broader perspective,” Dina Lisnyansky, an expert on
the Middle East and radical Islamic movements and a research fellow at
Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, told JNS on Wednesday.
For decades, she noted, Syria’s Sunni majority had been under the control of a small Alawite minority.
“The rule of the Alawites manifested
itself during the rule of the Assad dynasty. In their effort to impose
an absolute dictatorship they massacred a great many Sunnis,” said
Lisnyansky.
This policy of mass killings shaped the
course of the civil war that began in 2011, as dictator Bashar Assad
tried to stabilize Alawite rule, she continued.
“The Sunnis were forced to become
refugees, whether within or outside their own country. At the same time,
they were being murdered in massive numbers. Assad simply massacred
them without mercy to stabilize his rule for an entire decade.
“The goal of the new regime is not only to
establish the rule of Sunni Islamist Ahmed al-Sharaa, but much more
than that. There is also a very strong desire for revenge,” she said.
‘Uzbeks, Tajiks, a lot from the Caucasus’
Lisnyansky disclosed the identity of the
fighters currently committing mass killings against the Alawites on the
coastal strip in western Syria, mainly in Latakia and Tartus. Rather
than just local Sunnis, she said, “very often, we find those who are
carrying it out are Islamists recruited as Mujahideen, jihadist fighters, who came to support the Sunnis in Syria.
“So, we find a great many Islamists, both
those who joined Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [HTS, the rebel coalition led by
al-Sharaa that took over Syria in December], and those who belonged to
ISIS beforehand.
“We are seeing a lot of Uzbeks, a lot of
Tajiks, a lot from the Caucasus, such as Chechens and Dagestanis. We are
seeing that those participating in the massacre are the same people who
participated in the conquest of Syria, in the months leading up to the
rise of al-Sharaa,” she said.
While Turkey did not orchestrate the
massacre, it is part of a wider Sunni attempt to completely take over
Syria, said Lisnyansky.
“Another thing we are seeing is the
unbelievable numbers. Within 48 hours, they were able to kill, based on
various reports, between 1,500 and 4,000—and I even heard a report of
6,000 in one place—Alawites. Together with Alawites, they are also
massacring Christians.”
Syria’s Christians went from comprising 8% of the population before the civil war, to currently being just 2%, she said.
Al-Sharaa is playing the role of the “good
cop,” she said, vowing to bring to justice those who took part in the
massacre, but there are good grounds to be skeptical over such claims.
“It’s very clear that if the central
regime did not want these things, they would not happen, because these
are not just local Islamist initiatives. Those taking part in the
killings have fought for years under al-Sharaa’s command. They’re not
suddenly rebelling against al-Sharaa. They’re simply continuing the
ideology.”
Lisnyansky suggested that Israel should take a cautious but firm approach to the evolving situation in Syria.
“We have to understand that there is a new
regime here, with certain ambitions, and that Turkey stands behind it
with its own highly ambitious goals of spreading out regionally. This
means that if we do not want to find ourselves in a frontal clash with
Turkey, we must proceed cautiously.”
She emphasized that while Israel does not
want direct confrontation, it has a clear interest in maintaining a
buffer zone to prevent instability from spilling over its borders. She
also noted that protecting the Druze population aligns with both Israeli and broader regional interests.
“It is logical that Israel should expand
its buffer zone in Syria. There is logic in protecting the [south
Syrian] Druze. There is logic in an alliance that serves not only
Israeli interests but also regional interests,” said Lisnyansky.
‘The product of a counter-coup’
Col. (res.) Dr. Jacques Neriah, a former
senior officer in IDF Military Intelligence, and former adviser to Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin, told journalists on a conference call organized
on Tuesday by the Jerusalem Press Club that “the recent events that
unraveled in western Syria are the product of a counter-coup led by
former officers of the 4th Division, once led by Maher Assad, the
brother of deposed president Bashar Assad.
“Together with some involvement by Iran and Hezbollah, they tried in fact to foment a putsch against the [new] regime.
“Let’s remember that Bashar Assad is
responsible for the deaths of 600,000 Syrians and the disappearance of
more than 60,000 Syrians,” he said.
“Chechen and Uyghur militias entered into
the Alawite provinces and were responsible for the recent killings and
executions carried out there,” Neriah added,
Saying that Israel “destroyed all of the
arsenals of Assad’s army,” he added, “We just went into the
demilitarized zone that existed between us and Syria since 1974, and
went even further … while claiming a sort of patronage over the Druze.”
Neriah argued that since the enemies of
Israel from the Shi’ite axis— Hezbollah and Iran—have been defeated in
Syria, Israel can tone down its approach toward the new Syrian regime
and try to avoid conflict with it.
No marches in London or New York
However, the Israeli government appears to take a far more distrustful view of the new regime.
On Tuesday, Israeli Deputy Foreign
Minister Sharren Haskel warned that “the international community must
understand that this is ethnic cleansing, and the current Syrian regime
has taken off its mask and revealed its true nature: a radical jihadist
organization.”
She criticized the lack of international
response, saying, “You won’t see marches in the streets of London or New
York. No one will fight for the murdered Alawites. No one will
demonstrate in the streets of Paris to protect families being
slaughtered, and no one will set up a camp at Columbia University to
save the Christian or Druze communities in Syria.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz visited the
peak of Mount Hermon on Tuesday, arriving at IDF outposts in the buffer
zone with Syria together with Deputy Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Tamir
Yadai and Brig. Gen. Yair Palai, commander of the 210th “Golan”
Division.
“Every morning, when Julani [al-Sharaa]
opens his eyes in the Presidential Palace in Damascus, he will see the
IDF watching him from the heights of Mount Hermon and will remember that
we are here, and in all the security zones of southern Syria, to
protect the residents of the Golan and the Galilee from any threat posed
by him and his jihadist associates,” said Katz.
“The IDF is preparing for an indefinite
stay in Syria. We will hold the security zone and Mount Hermon and
ensure that all security areas in southern Syria are demilitarized and
free of weapons and threats, and we will also protect the safety of the Druze in the region,” he added.
Referring to a series of Israeli
airstrikes on Syria on Monday, Katz added, “Last night, we acted
forcefully against military targets and struck more than 40 objectives
in the southern Syria region to implement our announced policy and to
thwart threats against the State of Israel. We will strengthen our ties
with local residents, and soon, on the 16th of the month, Druze will
begin working in Golan Heights communities.”
Yaakov Lappin is an Israel-based military affairs correspondent and analyst. He is the
in-house analyst at the Miryam Institute; a research associate at the
Alma Research and Education Center; and a research associate at the
Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He is a
frequent guest commentator on international television news networks,
including Sky News and i24 News. Lappin is the author of Virtual Caliphate: Exposing the Islamist State on the Internet. Follow him at: www.patreon.com/yaakovlappin.
This is the first time a senior US official is willing to discuss the behind-the-scenes events on the day Hezbollah’s pagers exploded.
(Illustrative) A pager device and a crowd in Lebanon near a site where Hezbollah members' pager devices were attacked.(photo credit: REUTERS, SCREENSHOT/X, SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT, SHUTTERSTOCK)
October 17, 2024, seemed like just another day at the Pentagon until a sudden request came from then-defense minister Yoav Gallant to speak to his US counterpart at the time, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“It
was morning in Washington, and we received a request for an urgent
phone call, so we worked quickly to make the arrangements,” recalls
Daniel (Dan) Shapiro, then-deputy assistant secretary of defense for the
Middle East, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.
This
is the first time Shapiro, or any other senior US official, has been
willing to discuss in detail the behind-the-scenes events in Washington
on the day Hezbollah’s pagers exploded.
“Minister
Gallant informed Secretary Austin that Israel had a special capability,
which he was about to exercise in Lebanon. He was vague about what it
did or how it would work, but he wanted Austin to have advance knowledge
of it,” Shapiro told the Post.
He
added that, even up until the last minute, Gallant felt compelled to
withhold all the details, maintaining the secrecy required for such a
sensitive operation. The answer to what Israel’s “special capability”
was, as Gallant described it, came from CNN.
(L to R): Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, Daniel (Dan) Shapiro,
former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.
(credit: DEFENSE MINISTRY)
“When the call
concluded, we were still pretty confused about what he was describing
because he didn’t go into much detail. But within less than 30 minutes,
we started to see reports on CNN and other television networks about explosions happening in Lebanon,” Shapiro explained.
Exploding of Hezbollah pagers
On
that day, October 17, thousands of pagers belonging to Hezbollah
exploded. The following day, hundreds of walkie-talkie devices belonging
to the terrorist organization also exploded. Official estimates claimed
that at least 59 people were killed and more than 4,000 were injured.
Reuters
later reported that 1,500 Hezbollah operatives were injured so severely
that they couldn’t return to service. “We weren’t really given an
explanation as to why that was the exact moment Israel chose to use this
capability,” Shapiro told the Post.
“What
we came to understand was that there was concern the capability was
about to be exposed. Hezbollah had grown suspicious of the pagers, and
it became a ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ situation, which meant that it had a
significant impact, but less than it might have if it had been used in
the way originally intended.”
Shapiro
described the operation as surprising and creative. “It was unusual.
And in some ways, you could say it was impressive. Maybe in many ways,
you could say it was impressive. I think that was certainly part of the
reaction from senior people in the US government.
“They were impressed by the creativity, the ingenuity, the secrecy,
and the careful targeting of Hezbollah members, ensuring that civilians
weren’t affected.”
Since
the start of the war, there has been ongoing debate between Gallant and
Prime Minister Netanyahu over whether Israel should have opened a front
with Hezbollah on October 11, 2023, just four days after the October 7
massacre.
While
Gallant argued that it was a missed opportunity and that Israel could
have detonated the walkie-talkies and pagers, causing substantial damage
to Hezbollah, Netanyahu, and Mossad head Dadi (David) Barnea stated
that the capability wasn’t ready at that time.
During
the first week of the war, former US president Joe Biden opposed the
idea of opening a new front against Hezbollah. Now, Shapiro tells the
Post that if the US had known about the pager operation, as well as the
subsequent plans and attacks, the Biden administration’s stance might
have been different.
“American
officials didn’t know about it at the time, so they couldn’t factor it
into our advice or recommendations on whether or not to attack
Hezbollah,” Shapiro explained. “They hadn’t been walked through how the
sequence of events would unfold. If we had known, I think it would have
shaped the conversation differently.”
Shapiro
concluded the events of that day and the operation by reminding the
administration that Israel should not be underestimated. “It has great
intelligence, great technology, inventive and creative people, and there
might be capabilities, tactics, and decisions that we wouldn’t know
about.”
“I am very pleased the entire U.S. Senate spoke with moral clarity when it comes to the barbaric terrorist organization called Hamas,” stated Lindsey Graham, who led the bill.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) visits sites that
Hamas terrorists attacked on Oct. 7, 2023, in southern Israel, Jan. 4,
2024. Credit: U.S. Embassy Jerusalem.
A unanimous U.S. Senate declared on
Thursday that Hamas should no longer be allowed to exercise political or
military control of the Gaza Strip.
Senators backed a bipartisan resolution led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that was introduced last month.
The resolution also calls upon the
president to “use all economic and diplomatic tools possible to halt all
sources of funding for Hamas from the Islamic Republic of Iran and all
other sources of revenue.”
It also supports Israel “as it continues
to defend its sovereignty against attacks from Hamas, the Islamic
Republic of Iran and all other Iranian proxies.”
“I am very pleased the entire U.S. Senate
spoke with moral clarity when it comes to the barbaric terrorist
organization called Hamas,” Graham stated. “With one voice, the Senate
said Hamas cannot be in charge of Gaza militarily or politically ever
again. That is the right and only answer. I am very proud of my Senate
colleagues.”
Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tom
Cotton (R-Ark.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and John
Fetterman (D-Pa.) also sponsored the bill.
“Hamas is an anathema—to Palestinians and
Israelis alike, indeed to all who live in the region,” stated
Blumenthal, the lead Democratic sponsor. “Their barbarity and inhumanity
is a terrorist scourge, demonstrated most tragically in the Oct. 7
massacre, and a major barrier to peace and stability.”
“Eliminating Hamas ought to be common ground as a paramount goal,” he added.
Hamas continues to hold hostages captured
in the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel that also killed 1,200 people. A
ceasefire has so far halted fighting in the Gaza Strip, and U.S.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is seeking to
extend its first phase.
Israel has agreed to a proposal by Witkoff to extend the current ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, but Hamas rejected it.
Witkoff said earlier this month that Hamas
should free American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander as a show of
goodwill. Alexander, 20, of Tenafly, N.J., is the only one of five
hostages with both American and Israeli citizenship believed to still be
alive.
On Friday, Hamas stated
that it would release Alexander and the bodies of four dual citizens.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejected the
gesture, accusing the terrorist group of continuing to “employ
manipulation and psychological warfare.”
Very pleased and proud that the U.S. Senate unanimously adopted my resolution stating that Hamas, a brutal terrorist organization, cannot be allowed to have political or military control of Gaza.
Tonight, the Senate spoke with moral clarity on one of the most important issues… https://t.co/2vtmfgl2pC
“This ruling is an important first step in righting the wrongs of the past year and a half,” stated Brian Cohen, executive director of Columbia Barnard Hillel.
A view of protesters demonstrating outside the
campus of Columbia University in New York City, April 22, 2024. Credit:
Evan Schneider/U.N. Photo.
Columbia University announced
on Thursday that it had disciplined students who occupied the Ivy
League school’s Hamilton Hall last spring with measures including
“multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations and expulsions.”
“The return of suspended students will be
overseen by Columbia’s University Life Office,” added the school, which
is the subject of a federal probe
for alleged inaction in response to Jew-hatred. “Columbia is committed
to enforcing the university’s rules and policies and improving our
disciplinary processes.”
The Trump administration announced recently that it is cutting about $400 million in federal funding to Columbia for its lack of response to antisemitism.
“‘Some students.’ Not enough,” wrote Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), sharing an Associated Press
headline that stated, “Columbia University says it has expelled,
suspended or revoked degrees from some students who seized a building
during a pro-Palestinian protest.” (Foxx was chair of the House
Committee on Education and Workforce during several high-profile
hearings about Jew-hatred with university presidents.)
“This ruling is an important first step in
righting the wrongs of the past year and a half,” stated Brian Cohen,
executive director of Columbia Barnard Hillel. “I am grateful to the
rules administrator and other members of the administration for their
roles in ensuring these cases were resolved.”
“Discipline for a building takeover last
spring? It appears that the wheels of justice at Columbia turn slowly
and only when the federal cash clogging the gears has been removed,” wrote Jay Greene, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy.
“The lesson here is that it takes $400
million in funding cuts to get an Ivy League school to expel some (not
all) of the students who vandalized school property, illegally occupied a
building and ground campus life to a halt,” wrote Aaron Sibarium of The Washington Free Beacon. “How much would it take for more meaningful reforms?”
In April 2024, a mob of anti-Israel
protesters barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall and briefly held at
least one university staff hostage. The New York City Police Department removed them from the building.
Gil Zussman, professor of electrical engineering at Columbia and chair of the electrical engineering department, wrote
on Thursday that he commended the university for making “tough
decisions,” and “it is really sad that we are at a situation in which
such decisions need to be made.”
“However, finally demonstrating that
breaking university rules has consequences is an important first step
towards going back to the core missions of research and teaching,” added
Zussman, whose Columbia biography notes that he was educated at Israeli
schools and was an engineer in the Israel Defense Forces from 1995 to
1998.
In coming days, “expect more visas will be revoked as we identify people who we should never have allowed in,” the U.S. secretary of state said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks with the
press in La Malnaie, Quebec, March 14, 2025. Credit: Freddie
Everett/U.S. State Department.
Federal agents arrested a Columbia
University student from Judea and Samaria, who the government said was
previously arrested for taking part in “pro-Hamas protests” at the
university, for overstaying her visa. Another Columbia student, an
Indian national accused of “advocating for violence and terrorism,”
self-deported, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Friday.
“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to
live and study in the United States of America,” stated Kristi Noem,
the U.S. secretary of homeland security. “When you advocate for violence
and terrorism that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be
in this country. I am glad to see one of the Columbia University
terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home app to self-deport.”
CBP is U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Homeland Security Department shared video footage
that it said depicts Ranjani Srinivasan, who “entered the United States
on a F-1 student visa as doctoral student in urban planning at Columbia
University,” leaving the country on March 11.
“Srinivasan was involved in activities
supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization,” the department stated. “On
March 5, 2025, the Department of State revoked her visa.”
Homeland Security Investigations officers
from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Newark office arrested
Leqaa Kordia “for overstaying her expired F-1 student visa,” Homeland
Security stated. “Her visa terminated on Jan. 26, 2022, for lack of
attendance. Previously, in April 2024, Kordia was arrested for her
involvement in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in New York
City.”
On Thursday, Katrina Armstrong, Columbia’s interim president, stated
that she was “heartbroken” to tell the school’s community that “we had
federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security in two
university residences tonight.”
“No one was arrested or detained. No items
were removed, and no further action was taken,” she said. “Federal
agents from the DHS served Columbia University with two judicial search
warrants signed by a federal magistrate judge authorizing DHS to enter
non-public areas of the university and conduct searches of two student
rooms.”
“The university is obligated to comply
with the law,” she stated. “Our university public safety was present at
all times.” She added that she understands “the immense stress our
community is under. Despite the unprecedented challenges, Columbia
University will remain a place where the pursuit of knowledge is
cherished and fiercely protected, where the rule of law and due process
is respected and never taken for granted and where all members of our
community are valued and able to thrive.”
During a Friday press conference in
Charlevoix, Canada, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “in
the days to come, you should expect more visas will be revoked as we
identify people that we should never have allowed in because they lied
to us.”
“When they said they were coming here to
be students, they didn’t say they were coming here to occupy university
buildings and vandalize them and tear them apart and hold campuses
hostage,” Rubio said. “If they had told us that, we would never have
given them a student visa.”
“Now that they’ve done it, we will revoke
those visas,” he added. “As the days go on, every time we have a chance
to revoke them, we will, because it’s not in the national interest of
the United States for them to be here.”
The president said the pipeline would save New York families approximately $5,000 in energy costs, and that other states in New England already want the pipeline.
President Donald Trump on Thursday
announced that he will be meeting with New York's Democratic Gov. Kathy
Hochul on Friday to discuss plans for an energy pipeline in the state.
Trump and Hochul have clashed over plans for the pipeline in the
past, which was nixed by New York in 2020, along with Hochul’s
congestion traffic pricing program in New York City. The program is also
expected to be discussed during the White House meeting, sources told The Hill.
The president told reporters that the pipeline would save New York
families approximately $5,000 in energy costs, and that other states in
New England already want the pipeline.
“The governor of New York Kathy Hochul, who’s a very nice woman,
she’s coming in tomorrow morning at nine o’clock to meet on that and
other things,” Trump said. “I hope we don’t have to use the
extraordinary power of the federal government to get it done, but if we
have to, we will ... I can tell you Connecticut wants and all of New
England wants it. And who wouldn’t want it?”
Hochul said that she "looks forward" to the meeting, and admitted the pair have "quite an agenda" to talk through. It comes after the pair met in the Oval Office last month.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.
American universities prioritize ideological "discovery" over education, leading to absurd research and lost funding—jeopardizing both the humanities and hard sciences.
Have you heard about the politics of lesbian feminist cyborg dogs? I’m not sure I have that description entirely correct, but I am
sure that it doesn’t really matter. A professor at SUNY Oneonta
recently wrote a paper—one that, surprisingly, a journal
published—titled: “Queer canine becomings: Lesbian feminist cyborg
politics and interspecies intimacies in ecologies of love and violence.”
And yes, it’s as dreadful as it sounds:
This article offers a queer lesbian
feminist analysis attuned to lesbian-queer-trans-canine relationalities.
Specifically, the article places queer and lesbian ecofeminism in
conversation with Donna Haraway’s work or the cyborg and companion
species to theorize the interconnected queer becomings of people,
nature, animals, and machines amidst ecologies of love and violence in
the 2020s. It takes two key case studies as the focus for analysis:
first, the state instrumentalization of dogs and robot dogs for
racialized and imperial violence, and second, quotidian queer and
lesbian-dog relationalities and becomings.
Have you heard about scientific research, including medical studies,
being canceled at universities nationwide, particularly at Columbia?
That too is dreadful:
The National Institutes of Health is
terminating 232 grants for scientific research at Columbia University
Irving Medical Center, about a quarter of the center’s research
portfolio, Dr. Joshua Gordon, the chair of psychiatry at Columbia’s
Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, wrote in an email to faculty
Monday….
Notice of the grant cancellations comes after the Trump administration announced
Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal funding to Columbia
University, saying it had failed to protect Jewish students from
antisemitism amid pro-Palestine activism on campus.
Taken together, these two dreadful stories explain quite a bit about
the American higher education system and its severe pathologies. More to
the point, they also explain why the current conservative optimism
about the potential to “fix” higher education by cracking down on DEI
and other such “reform” efforts is likely misplaced.
As I note in my book,The Dictatorship of Woke Capital,
the origins of the American higher education system were noble and
suited to the purpose of “education”: Harvard was founded to train
Unitarian and Congregational clergy, Yale was founded to teach theology
and religious languages, Dartmouth was founded to teach Christianity to
Native Americans, Princeton was founded to serve as a seminary for
Presbyterian ministers, and so on. The major part of the problem began
just after the end of the Civil War, when a wealthy Quaker bachelor and
railroad magnate named Johns Hopkins died and left what was then an
astounding sum – $7 million – to found a hospital and an affiliated
university. That “affiliation” is where the trouble started.
Johns Hopkins was meant to be different from the rest of the nation’s
universities. Modeled on Germany’s famous Heidelberg University, it was
intended to be a bastion not just of learning but of “discovery” as
well. It was designed specifically to produce new knowledge and
to embrace “progress” as a defining value. In the speech he gave at his
inauguration, Daniel Colt Gilman, the University’s first president,
declared that its mission would be “To educate its students and
cultivate their capacity for lifelong learning, to foster independent
and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to the
world.” Today, the University declares that its mission is not to teach
its students the knowledge of the world, but to uncover “knowledge for the world.”
This mission made perfect sense for the hospital and medical
school—and still does today. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever for
most of the rest of the University, those departments intended to deal
with the humanities and the social sciences. Unfortunately, Johns
Hopkins became the model for the American “research university,” and, as
such, its model was applied appropriately to the hard sciences and
woefully inappropriately to the rest of the higher education system
nationwide. The idea that “discovering” new knowledge should be the
primary function of a history department or an English department,
rather than teaching students about history and literature,
respectively, is ludicrous. Yet that is precisely the nature of today’s
universities.
Over the course of the next fifty years or so, the mission of the
American education system was further perverted and made even more
ridiculous by one of Johns Hopkins’ most “esteemed” graduates, the
execrable John Dewey. Dewey was America’s first truly “great” homegrown
philosopher. He was also the man most responsible for the attitudes that
predominate in the American education system today. Again, as I note in
the book, “Dewey disdained the idea of an existing body of acquired
human social and moral knowledge that could and should be passed down
from generation to generation in the form of custom and tradition. He
believed that knowledge was not something that could be learned but
something every individual student had to discover for himself.”
John Dewey’s “revolution” in education theory, coupled with the
concomitant revolution in the mission and purpose of higher education
combined to create the monster that is the American university. Today,
conservative education reformers intend to tame this monster. They are
as enthusiastic as they have ever been, genuinely hopeful about the
future of higher education as DEI retreats and federal grants are
rescinded.
But they are likely to be disappointed.
As the two stories at the top of this column show, the problem with
American higher education isn’t that it has been overrun by leftists or
that it has embraced foolish and destructive ideas like DEI. Those are
problems, to be sure. But they are secondary problems, derivatives of
the formative mistake at the core of the university’s affliction. The
truth of the matter is that the humanities and social sciences serve
fundamentally different purposes from the hard sciences and mathematics.
Humanities – even such seemingly frivolous subjects as “women’s
studies” – serve a purpose, namely to educate students about man’s
accumulated knowledge. The hard sciences, by contrast, serve to train
specialists and to push the boundaries of what is known, to discover and
innovate. By mingling the two—mostly out of convenience—the higher
education system compels the former to constantly “discover” new
knowledge, mostly by creating it out of whole cloth (lesbian cyborg dogs
and whatnot), while it holds the latter hostage to such patent
ridiculousness and the consequences thereof.
In the past couple of days, there have been countless stories and
anecdotes about scientists and medical researchers at Columbia who are
extremely angry at the university’s leaders for allowing their federal
funding to be cut and for allowing the absurdities of the post-colonial,
postmodern nonsense of the social sciences to put their valuable work
in jeopardy. They should be upset—as should every American.
Unfortunately, such is the nature of American higher education today.
And until we recognize that “education” and “discovery” largely belong
at entirely separate institutions, all involved will continue to suffer.
