Russell Pangborn
In the Vietnam protest years, U.S. conservatives justified the brutalities in Vietnam because of the domino theory that once Vietnam fell to communism all the neighbouring countries would follow suit. I remember how family relationships were ripped apart by how the war was viewed. The loss of American and Vietnamese lives faithfully reported by intrepid journalists was enough to trigger mass protests on campuses and a repression reaction. The students at the time were painted as being unpatriotic and un-American. The irony of today’s protesters against the atrocities in Gaza being called anti-Semitic, while including Jewish protestors, reminds me of that 1960’s turmoil down south.
Many journalists have died this time to bring us the news and it is so horrible it reminds me of Canada’s gut punch on finding the many graves of indigenous infants. In both cases the moral outrage was a call for action. One big difference is the discovery of mass gravesites on residential school property was more of an archeological discovery. The film footage and reporting coming from Gaza has cost the lives of more than 100 journalists according to Reporters without Borders.
We all understand the justifiable rage about the events of the October 7 Hamas massacre of Israeli citizens, but the overreaction of Netanyahu’s government has motivated students in Canada and the U.S. There is more altruism this time because one factor in the Vietnam protests was the possibility of you or a close relation being drafted into a war. That risk is not a concern for today’s undergraduates. They are reacting to the indiscriminate reign of death brought by the Israeli military on innocent civilians.
We have seen the footage of woman and children cut down, heard the staggering overall totals of citizens killed, and heard about the targeting of aid workers. Ironically in this mission to save hostages, two hostages were shot after they escaped from their captors. They had their hands up and under the impression they were walking to safety. But they were male and any male in Gaza could be a terrorist, so better to shoot first and investigate later. If it turned out to be an innocent Gazan … then just another number to add to the overall total.
Michael Moore was interviewed on CNN regarding the protests and he indicated that his conversations with the leaders revealed people reacting to a great injustice, not motivated by anti-Semitism and a desire for the total destruction of Israel. After Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed protests were anti-Semitic Bernie Sanders released a powerful statement.
No, Mr. Netanyahu. It is not antisemitic or pro-Hamas to point out that in a little over six months your extremist government has killed 34,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 77,000 – seventy percent of whom are women and children.
It is not antisemitic to point out that your bombing has completely destroyed more than 221,000 housing units in Gaza, leaving more than one million people homeless – almost half the population.
It is not antisemitic to note that your government has obliterated Gaza’s civilian infrastructure – electricity, water, and sewage.
It is not antisemitic to realize that your government has annihilated Gaza’s health care system, knocking 26 hospitals out of service and killing more than 400 health care workers.
It is not antisemitic to condemn your government’s destruction of all of Gaza’s 12 universities and 56 of its schools, with hundreds more damaged, leaving 625,000 students with no education.
It is not antisemitic to agree with virtually every humanitarian organization in saying that your government, in violation of American law, has unreasonably blocked humanitarian aid coming into Gaza, creating the conditions in which hundreds of thousands of children face malnutrition and famine.
Unfortunately like any movement, there are some bad elements who have hitched a ride. If a supporter of the destruction of Israel tries to be included, or someone gets rough, we need to ask ourselves what is the majority of protestors doing. Just like if the Israeli military were doing a measured operation in Gaza and thousands were not dying, a rogue soldier shooting innocents is an anomaly, not indicative of the military response.
After Vietnam fell to the communists, the domino theory turned out to be wrong with 58,000 U.S. service members and upwards of a million people dying needlessly. It appears that Netanyahu is orchestrating a similar dead end path for his country. Netanyahu and the religious Right had sparked mass protests in their own country before October 7. They never wanted to work on a two-state solution and have seized on an opportunity to try and wipe out the possibility of any compromise with Palestinians. That wrong-headed approach sounds like an epic miscalculation.
We are all in a justifiable relationship with Israel to protect it, but when it decides to murder women and children and to reject the two-state option because it goes against what god has promised to the religious Right … it may be time to rethink our unconditional support. With government inaction, it has fallen to the students to remind us all of the rule of international law.
Let’s hope Israel listens.
Brilliant essay, Russell! Bernie Sanders showed courage and insight with his remarks, especially poignant given his Jewish ethnic roots.
The domino theory, even if correct, was not a justification to wage war. It turns out, communist countries eventually become free market economies voluntarily.
I too initially thought that the protests were against the ratio of civilian casualties, however, I now realize that they are against the right of the state of Israel to exist, alongside the state of Palestine (ie, anti-Zionism) https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/what-do-anti-israel-student-organizers-really-want-examining-extreme-demands-behind.
Ask anti-Israel protesters the following question, if the answer is “no”, move on to the next one:
1) If the IDF could defeat Hamas harming the same ratio of civilians as Hamas did on Oct/7, would you support it?
2) If the IDF could defeat Hamas harming zero civilians, would you support it?
3) Do you acknowledge the right of Palestine and Israel to exist?
You’d be surprised how few “yes” answers you receive.