Disclaimer: The information presented within this letter to the editor is the opinion of the author and should not be treated as news. On June 12, a UN commission found Israel guilty of “crimes against humanity of extermination, gender persecution targeting Palestinian men and boys, murder, forcible transfer, and torture and inhuman and cruel treatment.” The presentation of opinion as fact within this article, despite repeated requests to address the issue, does not meet the journalistic standards of The Mercury.
To the Editor-in-Chief, The Mercury and its readers,
Over the past 10 months following the horrific Oct. 7 massacre during which the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas killed over 1,200 innocent civilians, burned babies, raped women and took hostages, Jewish students have experienced an exponential increase in hateful antisemitism on campus. Jewish UTD students have come forward, saying they have been followed home, stolen from, harassed and issued death threats. This follows as the U.S. has seen a 329% rise in antisemitism on college campuses. These actions are motivated by the antisemitic rhetoric of The Mercury, Students for Justice in Palestine and other campus groups that delegitimize Israel’s fundamental right to exist, demonize Israel’s defensive actions, and hold Israel to a double standard. By referring to Israel as “occupied Palestine,” these groups reject the Jewish right to self-determine in their homeland and delegitimize Israel’s fundamental right to exist. These groups claim Israel is committing a genocide, when facts say otherwise. Quoting John Spencer, the chair of urban warfare studies at the United States Military Academy, “Israel has done more to protect civilian lives than any other nation in modern history.” According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli agency responsible for tracking and providing aid to Gaza, 254,210 tons of supplies have been transferred to the Gaza Strip, including 167,080 tons of food. Despite this, we have seen these groups neglect factual information in favor of demonizing the Jewish state and holding Israel to a double standard. These student groups claim apartheid, when Israel is the only state in the Middle East where Muslims, Jews, Christians and LGBTQ citizens are not only equal under the law, but can freely practice their beliefs without fear of being slaughtered or imprisoned, as seen in other Middle Eastern countries. It should be the responsibility of anyone criticizing the Israel-Hamas war to apply facts and context. Many of these antisemitic groups will claim they are anti-Zionist and not antisemitic; however, according to the Anti-Defamation League, “Zionism is the movement for the self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel.” Denying Jews the right to live in their home is not just antisemitic, but bigoted and undemocratic. Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East, and democratic freedom is something we should all be able to agree on.
Together, we can work to eliminate hate on campus and find ways for all to coexist in peace.
Jade Steinberg
President of Hillel at UTD
I mean, it’s just a fact that Israel is an apartheid state…
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/icj-opinion-declaring-israels-occupation-of-palestinian-territories-unlawful-is-historic-vindication-of-palestinians-rights/
https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf
The letter was clear and to the point. The “Mercury” disclaimer with the reference to the U.N. Commission was only to put the paper’s bias into the opinion piece.
This was wrong and shows the paper is not even-handed … Unfortunate and shameful.
The UTD Mercury editors should gain the maturity to realize that editorials express opinions and readers know and appreciate this — one doesn’t include a sneering, biased “disclaimer” as a preface. I appreciate this editorial and thank the Mercury for publishing it.
OMG. The disclaimer presents opinion as fact. The UN did not “find” Israel guilty of all those things. Rather, without clear evidence (or facts), it was the opinion of biased members of the UN that the Jewish state of Israel has committed acts of crime, inhumanity and genocide. While Mr Steinberg’s article expresses facts from the Military Academy and Gov’t Activities agency, to the contrary. My son is a UTD alumnus. I have great pride in the school, your academics and the futures you create for students. But, allowing for biases, based on misinformation and attempting to change the culture and essence of freedom and cooperative, productive and peaceful coexistence, on campus, in the country and even across the world, is very dangerous and diminishes the purpose and strength of UNT.
It’s unfortunate that the very real problem of rising anti-Semitism is being obfuscated by Zionist groups attempting to weaponize claims of anti-Semitism to shut down anti-war protestors.
The very same people who privately spout anti-Semitic rhetoric (e.g. TPUSA, Comets for the Preborn) will publicly support Israel because they simultaneously get to “wash their hands” of their private beliefs as well as have an excuse to cheer on the genocide of Palestinians. Most conservatives today harbor beliefs about Muslims that are basically just inherited from European anti-Semitism. The most despicable among them even still hold onto the anti-Semitism, a trend that has been worryingly growing over the past decade in the Western far-right.
Pointing out that a genocidal nationalist project is genocidal and nationalist is not anti-Semitism, and it does not threaten anybody. The unfortunate truth is that anti-Semitism is on the rise on campus. But the threat is from the far-right, not antiwar and anti-genocide activists.
If Zionist groups continue to obfuscate and muddy the water on the reality of anti-Semitism on campus, then the very real bigotry of TPUSA, New Columbia Movement, and other groups will continue to not be taken seriously by UTD administration.
I am visibly Jewish in that I wear a kippah, tallis, and star on a daily basis. I am also gay and disabled.
Over the last academic year, I was repeatedly followed to my car by people wearing keffiyahs and shouting antisemitic slurs and death threats. I was spat on once and assaulted twice.
Whatever your thoughts on the war Hamas started, we have a significant antisemitism problem on our campus that must be addressed.