Strange bedfellows far-right, far-left unite against Jews
In a study by the Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy at Reichman University, it has been revealed that extreme right-wing antisemitic groups in the USA are aggressively promoting their ideology within the anti-Israel campaign of the American liberal left. These efforts, conducted through clandestine right-wing networks, are believed to be fueling the surge in violence on campuses and city streets as well as the burgeoning wave of online antisemitic rhetoric.
Dr. Liram Kovlentz Stenzler, the editor of the study, highlights an unprecedented scenario where the radical left is absorbing ideologies from the extreme right, adversaries they have historically opposed: "The attack on Jews and Israelis rides on narratives of both the left and the right. Since October 7, we have seen an ideological convergence between the left and the right, which is very dangerous. Even classic right-wing antisemitic messages like 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion' are now leaking to the left, and suddenly antisemitism against Judaism and Zionism are merging."
"Much of this hate discourse occurs on social networks, and students are the consumers. They don't realize that this discourse partly comes from the extreme right, from people of 'white supremacy.' Students undergo a process of radicalization, are drawn into this ideology, and experience shows that ultimately there will be violence. There is a very great danger in the convergence between extreme left and extreme right, where Jews are their common enemy."
Dr. Kovlentz-Stenzler, who leads the Antisemitism and Extreme Right Global Desk at the Institute and has served as a guest lecturer and researcher at Yale University for two years, has been monitoring extreme right movements not only on mainstream social networks but also on darker platforms including the darknet. The findings are alarming: during the Gaza conflict, these groups saw a unique opportunity to influence global sentiment against Jews and promote their agenda for a "New World Order." These discussions often involve strategies to shift public opinion from merely disapproving of Israel’s actions in Gaza to fostering outright antisemitic aggression.
The darkest of these discussions occur on the darknet, where illicit items like drugs and counterfeit credit cards are typically traded. Currently, there are talks about joining Hamas, sending them cryptocurrency support, acquiring weapons, and even planning attacks on synagogues. One disturbing forum ranks mass murder and terror events by victim count, with participants aspiring to climb this gruesome leaderboard.
Just a day after Hamas’s Oct. 7 rampage through Israel, the nation’s largest anti-Israel campus group snapped into action, issuing a call for "unity intifada" at colleges across the country and mobilizing its network of pro-Palestinian agitators for a "national day of resistance" that would "normalize" terrorism against Israel, according to a strategy document reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
The materials provide insight into National Students for Justice in Palestine’s (NSJP) campus playbook and suggest the anti-Israel umbrella group anticipated a conflict in the Middle East and was prepared to unleash its army of adherents on college campuses across America.
"National liberation is near—glory to our resistance, to our martyrs, and to our steadfast people," the document states. It includes a series of directions and guides to help students learn the "how-tos for the protest day of action and troubleshoot any support needed." NSJP also ran "how to organize a protest" workshops and "highly encouraged" its network to organize "a sit-in, disruption, or educational event." At every step in the process, NSJP was prepared to help its campus protesters foment anti-Israel unrest and "normalize the resistance," according to the planning materials.
The organization makes it clear that students are part of a global "unity intifada," stating: "We as Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement."
Eilon Presman was about 100 feet from the UCLA Palestinian solidarity encampment when he heard the screams: “Zionist! Zionist!”
The 20-year-old junior, who is Israeli, realized the activists were pointing at him.
“Human chain!” they cried.
A line of protesters linked arms and marched toward him, Presman said, blocking him from accessing the heart of UCLA’s campus. Other activists, he said, unfurled kaffiyeh scarves to block his view of the camp.
“Every step back that I took, they took a step forward,” Presman said. "I was just forced to walk away.”
It's been a week since police swarmed the UCLA campus and tore down the pro-Palestinian camp, arresting more than 200 people. But the legacy of the encampment remains an issue of much debate, particularly among Jewish students, who make up nearly 8% of the university's 32,000 undergraduates.
In the days leading up to April 30 — when pro-Israel counterprotesters attacked the camp with fists, bats and chemical spray, and police took hours to stop the violence — frustration had swelled among many Jews: Viral videos showed activists restricting the passage of students they targeted as Zionists.
Some Jewish students said they felt intimidated as protesters scrawled graffiti — “Death 2 Zionism” and “Baby Killers” — on campus buildings and blocked access with wooden pallets, plywood, metal barricades and human walls.
The pro-Palestinian student movement includes various strains of activism, including calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, support for Hamas and demands that universities divest from firms doing business with Israel. But on campuses across the country, no word has become more charged than "Zionist."
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