Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

The anarchy being witnessed on college campuses today is an indictment of higher education in America. The combination of one-sided views combined with paid agitators and a complete ignorance of the harsh realities of war have exposed the end result of the university takeover by leftists.  

FACT: On October 7, 2023, assassins from Hamas used Gaza as a base and invaded Israel.

FACT: According to Barron’s the death toll was 1163 and this included 767 civilians, 376 members of security forces and 20 hostages.

FACT: The youngest victim was a newborn baby who died 14 hours after birth, while the oldest was a 94-year-old woman.

FACT: Israeli women were gang raped, people were locked in houses that were set on fire, and many hostages were taken by Hamas terrorists and used as human shields.

FACT: In 2006, in the last election in Palestine, Hamas militants took over governance of Gaza when they secured 76 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council and have ruled Gaza ever since that time.  

These facts have been documented, and cannot be refuted. Israel, as any nation would have, responded with a military attack on the area where Hamas terrorists retreated: Gaza, and their assault has led to the deaths of many Palestinians. Recently a research company, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), published a report that found that approximately 72% of Palestinians surveyed support the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel. Despite overwhelming evidence and pictures proudly displayed by Hamas terrorists of atrocities committed, only 10% of those surveyed believe the terrorists committed war atrocities that day. Up until the attack, Hamas controlled Gaza.  

The same kind of rationalizations that are being used to disrupt life on college campuses and promote anti-Semitism seem to ignore the fact that Hamas initiated this war, and Israel responded to the murder of its citizens by invading Gaza. This conflict has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, which is also a fact. However, when a government that has been voted into office initiates a war, innocent people suffer. Protesters who call for a cease-fire do not appear to understand that fighting a war is not about equity in the number of victims; it is about winning and eliminating the enemy.

During WWII, the Germans and Japanese committed unconscionable acts and atrocities to innocent civilians in nations throughout the world. These atrocities included: mass murder, experimenting on innocent men, women and children, executing prisoners of war and gang rape. The Japanese took women ranging in age from 10-70 and made them sex slaves for Japanese soldiers.  They named them, “comfort women.” One out of three soldiers who were taken prisoner by the Japanese failed to survive their captivity. Despite agreements between nations on how to conduct war, barbaric methods were used and these agreements were worthless.  

Germany, under Hitler, committed to the Final Solution, and the extermination of millions of innocent people. The Japanese government sanctioned the unleashing of plague and other diseases that wiped out Chinese villages. Germans bombed and destroyed cities in Europe and killed many civilians. This was met with allied attacks that eventually cost the lives of many German and Japanese civilians, however, no one called for a ceasefire because the governments of Germany and Japan were the culprits in causing this carnage and genocide and needed to be destroyed. 

No one wants to see innocent men, women and children killed. No one wants to see war atrocities committed, however, when a government is elected and that government makes the fateful decision to initiate a war there are consequences. When the US dropped atomic bombs on Japan, innocent men, women and children died terrible deaths as a result of a war that was initiated by their government.

The misguided students who have invaded college campuses are dupes who have been given one side of a story, and their parroted rhythmic chants and anti-Semitic rhetoric intended to shout down, intimidate and cause chaos in so-called institutions of higher learning demonstrate a level of disingenuous behavior and a lack of understanding of how wars are fought. They fail to condemn Hamas for initiating this terrible carnage, for taking hostages as human shields and blame the government of Israel for its attempt to defend itself from future attacks, which Hamas has already admitted will happen again.  

Do students on these campuses really understand what they are protesting? They see stories and news reports about the deaths of Palestinians and react to it, but fail to view the big picture, which is that if a ceasefire occurred and Hamas was allowed to remain in control of Gaza, Israelis would face a constant threat of invasion again and again. No one called for a cease-fire and allowing Hitler to remain in power in Germany to end the misery of German civilians because it was common sense that he needed to die, and policies needed to be implemented by the victors to guarantee that the German war machine would never be mobilized again. Clueless groups like Gays for Palestine who are protesting in campuses as well as prominent Jews like Bernie Sanders condemn Israel and don’t realize that they are siding with the same people who would like to see them dead.   

History, something that isn’t really being taught at many universities, has many lessons about war, and the most important lesson is that the only way to ensure your survival is the annihilation of an enemy. Appeasement has never worked because bullies like Hamas terrorists see it as a sign of weakness and use it to mobilize and plan future attacks. As the US learned from the Vietnam War, you don’t win wars by playing by rules, while allowing your opponent to use any tactic, including committing war crimes, to achieve victory. Perhaps those students should open a true history book instead of listening to America-hating pacifist professors and learn the truths about war as they sit in their Soros-funded tents, instead of chanting meaningless slogans that only expose their ignorance to the world.  

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