In the co Illustrative: An “apartheid wall” erected by Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Photo: SJP at UIUC
On March 16th, the College Dean’s Office at American University (AU) announced that the university would drop its co-sponsorship of a March 17th event featuring virulent antisemite Mohammed El-Kurd.
AU’s rescission of sponsorship came after more than 30 concerned students brought a series of libelous and inflammatory comments made by El-Kurd to the administration’s attention. The letter requested that AU drop its co-sponsorship of the event.
A few included El-Kurd’s expressed support for the internationally recognized terrorist organizations Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, his idolized descriptions of “intifadas” and waves of terror against Israelis, casual comparisons of Israelis to Nazis, and numerous antisemitic tropes.
This behavior was apparently enough to convince American University officials to distance the school from the event. Still, it wasn’t enough to deter Reverend Graylan S. Hagler of Plymouth United Church of Christ, located a few miles from American University, from hosting El-Kurd at his church.
mplex web of international relations, truth often becomes entangled in political agendas and distorted narratives. The recent accusations against Israel by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) serve as a stark example of this troubling trend. As Israel faces allegations of genocide, one particular distortion of truth has emerged, shedding light on the broader challenges of justice and reality in the modern world.
At the heart of this issue lies a quote attributed to an Israeli official, taken out of context and grossly misrepresented in South Africa’s presentation to the ICJ. This quote, extracted from a news conference held shortly after a devastating terrorist attack by Hamas, was twisted to imply Israeli complicity in civilian deaths. The context of the quote, however, reveals a different story.
The news conference, held amidst the aftermath of a brutal terrorist act that claimed the lives of innocent Israelis and left hundreds more in captivity, was intended to address international journalists. Yet, instead of focusing on the victims of terrorism, the journalists were fixated on the potential repercussions for Palestinians in Gaza – the very territory from which the terrorists had originated.
What emerged from this distortion was an attempt to frame Israel as the aggressor, responsible for violence against civilians. However, the reality is far more nuanced. The terrorist attack on October 7 saw not only the brutal slaughter of innocent Israelis but also the participation of Palestinian civilians in acts of murder, rape, and looting. Videos captured Palestinians celebrating the massacre and attacking hostages as they were led away.
Amidst this chaos, the Israeli official emphasized the distinction between innocent civilians and combatants, reaffirming Israel’s commitment to international law and the protection of civilian life. However, these words were twisted to fit a narrative of Israeli aggression and intent to commit genocide.
The truth, obscured by political agendas and distorted narratives, is that Israel is engaged in a defensive struggle against an explicitly genocidal enemy. The civilian casualties in Gaza, tragic though they may be, are a consequence of Hamas’s use of human shields and deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians.
Despite this, humanitarian aid continues to reach Gaza, underscoring Israel’s commitment to upholding humanitarian principles even in the midst of conflict. However, the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas remains a pressing concern, often overlooked in the international discourse.
The case presented by South Africa, in support of Hamas, represents a dangerous departure from moral clarity and truth. It is a blood libel against the nation-state of the Jewish people, perpetuating falsehoods and undermining the vision of international justice that emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust.
In the face of such distortions, it is imperative that the international community uphold the principles of truth and justice, refusing to succumb to political agendas and cynical narratives. The repercussions of abandoning these ideals extend far beyond Israel, threatening the integrity of the international legal system and the pursuit of a more just world.