‘As they chant for intifada, we will work together’: Herzog pans anti-Israel protests
President sends message of solidarity to Jews around the world, noting ‘violence, harassment and intimidation’ on campuses in the US, elsewhere: ‘The people of Israel are with you’
President Isaac Herzog broadcast a message of solidarity to Jewish communities around the world on Thursday, amid a wave of anti-Israel protests that has sent shockwaves through college campuses in the United States and elsewhere and often included displays of antisemitism and support for terror.
“The people of Israel are with you. We hear you,” he said in a video message in English.
“We see the shameless hostility and threats. We feel the insult, the breach of faith and the breach of friendship. We share with you the apprehension and concern,” he added.
Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests at US universities have sent many Jewish students fleeing campuses, fearing for their safety amid increasing antisemitic rhetoric, threats and a growing lack of faith in the educational institutions’ ability to protect them.
“We see prominent academic institutions, halls of history, culture and education contaminated by hatred and antisemitism, fueled by arrogance and ignorance and driven by moral failings and disinformation. We watch in horror as the October 7 atrocities against Israel are celebrated and justified,” the president said.
“In the face of violence, harassment and intimidation, as masked cowards smash windows and barricade doors, as they assault the truth and manipulate history, together we stand strong,” Herzog said, referring to an incident at Columbia University this week in which protesters against Israel occupied and vandalized an administration building.
To our sisters and brothers around the world: The people of Israel hear you. The people of Israel stand with you. Do not fear. Stand strong. Together we will overcome.
Watch my special message to Jewish communities and supporters of Israel all around the world. pic.twitter.com/ahRyfZ44VH
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) May 2, 2024
Protesters who broke in and barricaded themselves inside the university’s Hamilton Hall unfurled flags and banners from windows of the building, including one that read “Intifada,” a reference to periods of deadly Palestinian terror attacks against Israeli civilians in the late 1980s and early 1990s and again in the early 2000s.
“As they chant for intifada and genocide, we will work together to free our hostages, held by Hamas, and fight for civil liberties of the entire free world and our right to believe and belong, for the right to live proudly, peacefully and securely, as Jews, as Israelis — anywhere,” the president said.
The campus protests began when war erupted in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Vowing to eliminate Hamas and topple its regime in Gaza, Israel launched a military campaign that also aims to free the hostages, of whom 129 remain in captivity, some believed no longer alive.
At least 34,400 Palestinians have been killed and over 77,600 injured in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, though these figures cannot be independently verified and include some 13,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. While organizers of the protests claim it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war, protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats.
Agencies contributed to this report.
