About two years ago, while I was Israel's Ambassador to Canada, before I resigned due to the change in government and the promotion of the judicial-political coup in Israel, I, along with my colleagues, heads of Israeli missions in North America and Europe, faced displays of hatred, incitement, and delegitimization led by organizations that call themselves "pro-Palestinian." Even then, we tried to expose their true faces and present them as they are: organizations representing the new anti-Semitism, sly and sanctimonious, blending hatred of Jews with hatred of Zionists and absolute delegitimization of the very existence of the State of Israel, under the guise of "legitimate" criticism towards the Israeli government's policies concerning the Palestinians and settlements.
Often, these organizations, many of which are funded and supported by countries like Iran and Qatar, manage to camouflage their true motives, which, in the narrow and immediate sense, are to completely undermine Israel's legitimacy to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people in its historic homeland. In the broader and long-term sense, they seek to undermine the liberal-democratic order and challenge constructive progressiveness, committed to maintaining state frameworks that respect a variety of identities, beliefs, opinions, and different worldviews. Therefore, although in the common discourse in the media and social networks these organizations are presented as pro-Palestinian, their primary concern is not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but opposition to the very existence of the State of Israel, as part of a deeper challenge to Western democracy as a state framework where fair interactions between different social and political currents are supposed to occur with respect for compromises and agreements.
If these organizations were genuinely pro-Palestinian, they would certainly call for the liberation of the Palestinian people in Gaza from the terrible burden of Hamas, the most extreme terrorist organization in the world, which not only beheads, rapes, and murders Israeli women and men, but also tortures and kills political rivals from within, and throws Palestinian homosexuals from rooftops to their deaths. If they were pro-Palestinian, they would call on the Palestinian political leadership to return to the negotiation table and promote dialogue with the Israeli government - not the current one of Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, but the next one of Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Benny Gantz, and Avigdor Lieberman - to promote the idea of separation into two states, an idea that has been repeatedly rejected through violence and terrorism by the Palestinians whenever Israel was ready for it in the past.
Their current occupation of campuses by these "pro-Palestinian" organizations is unlike the expressions of social-political protest known in the Western world. It is organized, violent, and brutal. It involves threats and abuse against Jewish and Israeli students, some of whom still deny the very right to exist of the only democratic state in the region and actively seek its destruction. These organizations exploit the freedom of expression, a key democratic constitutional principle practiced in the countries where they operate, and under its protection, they engage in incitement, hatred, and threats without facing any consequences. Campuses serve as a particularly convenient platform for them, allowing them to exploit the universities' deep commitment to pluralism, freedom of expression, and thought to spread toxicity, false realities, and offensive messages.
Calling for the murder of 'Zionists' under the guise of freedom of expression
Thus, under the guise of freedom of expression, they not only make statements denying Israel's right to exist but also calls for the murder of "Zionists" and messages of praise for the atrocities carried out by Hamas on October 7th. These are not expressions of support for the Palestinian people and their rights - these are incitement to murder and genocide, calls for the annihilation of the Jewish people and its state.
More than any other aspect they embody, these organizations are inherently violent. Their support for violence and terrorism is not only verbal and written. Their control over shared student spaces in universities, employing verbal and physical violence against Jewish and Israeli students, instills fear and spreads terror. Jewish students feel threatened; many avoid going to campuses, and among those who do, many take care to remove any identifying sign indicating they are Jewish or Israeli. This is a direct result of intimidation and fear. This is terrorism.
Amid this dark momentum, there might also be a significant opportunity, as the camouflage employed by these organizations is no longer effective; their violence is now visible to all, and their challenge to democratic law and order is evident. Not only are Israel and the Jews threatened here, but also American society as a whole, along with Canadian society, Western Europe, and other democratic societies. The current wave of violence, filled with hatred and incitement, may thus serve as a ringing wake-up call, expected to reveal the true faces and identities of those behind these protests and campus occupations: anarchism, support for violence, and a drive to undermine the democratic order at its core. Hopefully, the cat is finally out of the bag.
Dr. Ronen Hoffman, former Israeli Ambassador to Canada, leads the philanthropic project "Awz for Israel," supporting trauma treatment and combating anti-Semitism. He is also the head of the international program ELI for Leadership, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Tel Aviv University.