On October 7th, 50 years after the start of the Yom Kippur War, the Islamist militant group Hamas violently attacked Israel without provocation. Over 1,000 terrorists crossed the border, backed by airstrikes from the Gaza Strip. Recent reports reveal over 900 reported deaths and 2,600 injured, per Israeli authorities. As an Editorial Board, The Jefferson Independent wholeheartedly denounces any form of violence, irrespective of the perpetrator. We wish for nothing more than a swift and diplomatic end to this tragedy.
However, the manner in which this conflict is being fought must be illuminated and condemned. By now, many have read of the countless atrocities committed in the last four days. Make no mistake, this is not solely a targeted military operation. Hamas terrorists are murdering innocent civilians in cold blood, kidnapping children, and parading beaten victims as trophies in the street. Most disgustingly, recent IDF reports claim that Israeli soldiers discovered slaughtered babies in Kfar Azza, one of the last villages captured by Hamas (this claim is debated, and IDF currently does not have information that confirms these allegations). The brutal yet frivolous behavior on display as they ruthlessly murder women, children, and senior citizens is a level of hatred only rivaled by the Holocaust.
Aren’t people rushing to condemn acts of terrorism? Who could support such horrible atrocities? It turns out there are groups at universities all over Europe, the United States, and even our very own UVA who seem to believe these actions are completely justified.
The Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Virginia (SJP) released a statement detailing their thoughts on the current situation in Israel. The group has chapters at various college campuses across the country. They have described the terror attacks as “historic wins” and call the Hamas fighters “martyrs.” The statement from the UVA chapter reads: “SJP unequivocally supports Palestinian liberation and the right of colonized people everywhere to resist the occupation of their land by whatever means they deem necessary.” The letter goes on to detail the supposed “genocidal campaign” Palestinians have faced at the hands of Israel for over 75 years.
As a publication that encourages viewpoint diversity, we encourage you to do the research for yourself and come to a conclusion based on your own analysis of history. We must acknowledge that the broader Israel-Palestine conflict has two very different perspectives, deriving from fundamental religious, theological, and political differences. This topic is sensitive and must be handled with maturity.
However, the notion that Israel could even commit such repeated injustices to warrant being attacked in such a manner is utterly ludicrous. Quite the opposite has transpired over the last half-century. There have been numerous attempts to form a two-state solution with Palestine (1937 Peel Commission, 1947 UN Resolution, 2020 Middle East Peace Plan). To provide an exhaustive list would be beside the point. We simply wish to provide a polite refutation to an actual endorsement of Islamic terrorism. The SJP letter reads, “The events that took place are steps towards a free Palestine.” They see this as the right course of action. Are merciless killings, targeting civilians, and refusing to negotiate diplomatically steps in the right direction?
We are concerned that despite widespread media attention and the aforementioned remarks from SJP, we have seen minimal statements from UVA leadership, and are yet to see an official response from its primary student publication, The Cavalier Daily. We find this highly ironic, as, on October 5th, our colleagues at The Cavalier Daily released an unsigned editorial titled “Free Speech Does Not Guarantee Comfort.” Written in response to our paper’s concerns about the true nature of free speech on Grounds, they are quoted as saying, “If folks in our community use the First Amendment as a vehicle to promote bigotry, we must exercise our own rights to ensure these abhorrent actions do not go unchallenged.”
This is in reference to an upcoming event in which author Abigail Shrier will speak about her 2020 book, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. If you are wondering, the book is simply concerned with young girls potentially making life-altering decisions without fully understanding the consequences regarding their gender. How that is “abhorrent bigotry?” Your guess is as good as ours.
What is abhorrent bigotry is believing that innocent Israeli civilians’ deaths are justified because of a political and religious dispute they are not involved in. If we are to ensure these actions do not go unchallenged, as the CD commands, we are perplexed as to why there has been not even the slightest condemnation of the violence we are witnessing. The lack of a response is deafening and disturbing.
On Thursday, October 12th, SJP plans on conducting a demonstration at the steps of UVA’s Rotunda. The event will take place at 5:30 pm, intended to support the Palestinian liberation while also teaching about its historical context. The Jefferson Independent supports their right to assemble and demonstrate their beliefs, but their explicit celebration of violence must be made known to the university community to promote well-informed, public inquiry.
Israel has retaliated to the attacks with airstrikes on Gaza. The Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has promised to respond by completely blockading the Strip. He said, “We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza. There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything will be closed.” While it is not our place to assert a particular course of action, stooping to similar levels of cruelty toward civilians isn’t ideal. As Hamas hides behind the Palestinians, using them as human shields, it is difficult to fight without assuming collateral damage.
Whatever your opinion is on the Israel-Palestine conflict, we are not here to judge. We simply urge those serving our community to condemn what is a clear act of heinous violence. Of all the articles circulating the internet, many vehemently support Israel no matter their response or blatantly support Islamic terrorism.
We have reached a level in our society where simply stating that brutally slaughtering civilians is unacceptable, no matter who does it, takes a back seat in the face of blindly supporting a political agenda. The Jefferson Independent will continue to pioneer reasoned thought and cordial debate in a time and at a university where it seems those ideals are being sacrificed.
This is an excellent, balanced editorial. Well done.
As an alumnus whose father and uncles fought in WWII and older brothers in Vietnam, I have personally heard anecdotes of war’s cruelty. I also personally have friends who have family or were themselves survivors of the Holocaust.
Palestinian citizens have been seen on videos released by Hamas taunting and abusing Israelis paraded through the streets in the Gaza Strip. For those of us who have know Holocaust victims and who in our early youth heard first hand accounts of Nazi barbarism, one can only conclude that Hamas is their 21st century moral equivalent.
You are correct to not make any political statements in your editorial. I commend you for that. Since I am a commentator and not an editorial journalist, I am free to express my opinions. Palestinian statehood is dead on arrival. The Palestinian populace has been seen on videos gleefully exalting in the abuse of innocent Israelis. They are openly encouraging Hamas to continue their reign of terror. For that, they must pay the price.
If the UVA pro-Palestinian students reading this have a problem with that conclusion, tough luck. Your people have violated the rules of humanity and must pay the price, just as the German people did 8 decades ag9. Actions have consequences. Deal with it.
Nicely Done, with a hell of keeper closure / observation.
“We have reached a level in our society where simply stating that brutally slaughtering civilians is unacceptable, no matter who does it, takes a back seat in the face of blindly supporting a political agenda”.
If that doesn’t stop and make someone think about what’s important or not, in their actions and words, and the effect they – as and individual – have on others. plus asking how we got to this level – I’m not sure what could. Or said another way, All Lives Matter,
Deal with it.
Excellent editorial. I have heard many, many references to “UVa and SJP” in the media in the past 24 hours and I am just disgusted. Once again I am simply disgusted by the path that the University has taken over the years and hesitate to admit to coworkers that I received a degree from this school. What a liberal stinking swamp. Where is President Ryan? What is his opinion? Is he proud of SJP? At least ex-President of Harvard Larry Summers spoke out against their version of SJP.
Interesting to note an article I read this morning concerning Harvard and SJP. Wall Street executives have vowed to find out who at Harvard are in the support group(s) and stated that they will never hire the members of such group(s). The CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management said he has been approached by ‘a number of CEOs’, adding: ‘One should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists, who, we now learn, have beheaded babies, among other inconceivably despicable acts.’ Let’s see who at UVa that are members/supporters of SJP will publicly show their faces at their rally on Thursday night and affix their names to their declaration. The internet lives forever; will these “brave souls” put their reputations and future careers in jeopardy for supporting Hamas and their murderers, butchers, and rapists ? Or will the SJP members hide their faces and wear hoodies as Antifa members do? If you support your cause, show your faces!
From Andrea Widburg in American Spectator October 9:
“The original indigenous people of the land we now call Israel were the Canaanites. When the Jews migrated to that land roughly 4,000 years ago, tribal warfare ensued, and the Canaanites lost. Since then – for around 4,000 years – the Jews have had a continuous presence in Israel. They are the indigenous people with a claim to the land older than any other living people. In ancient times, they held that land despite wars with and occupations by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks.
One final point: In the last forty years, Israel has also repeatedly been willing to cede land for peace, including handing Gaza over to the Arabs in 2005. That has made no difference. As the Hamas Charter makes explicit, the goal is now and has always been the eradication of the indigenous Jewish population.”
There is no room for a “diplomatic” solution to this tragedy.
Another well thought out editorial.
Thank you for your editorial. Two weeks ago, I visited Mouthsusen in Linz, Austria, a concentration camp “Where Murder Was a Way of Life.” (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/mauthausen-concentration-camp) My father, a Captain in the 65th Infantry Division, and his unit liberated the camp at the end of WWII. The United States of America fought the Nazis to end genocide, the slaughtering of the Jewish people. Almost 300,000 US lives were lost in the war to terminate the barbaric behavior. Yet today, history is rhyming in Israel. We see the largest slaughtering of Jews since the Nazis, and we see a lack of condemnation! We even see support for the barbaric behavior. I am AMAZED! So, the question is, “Does the University community feel comfortable supporting members who support genocide, and/or members who tolerate supporters of genocide?” This is not the University I knew and would support. Reasoned people need to get a backbone.
Sorry, but this is anything but a good editorial. Indeed, it is sorely lacking and is very poorly thought out. I commend the editorial for calling out SJP but SJP and its atrocious statement deserve something much stronger than a “polite refutation.” Although the editorial to some extent is all over the place, its opening paragraph wishes for a swift diplomatic solution. That is the exact same position as the one proposed by AOC and her Socialist, antisemitic fellow Congressmen known at the Squad; i.e., now that Hamas has completed its atrocious attacks put a quick ceasefire in place. There can be no equivocation between good and pure evil. There cannot be a diplomatic solution to pure evil other than appeasement. A military solution is needed to eliminate Hamas from the face of the earth and to punish its nation state sponsors.
It is patently obvious that the goal of Hamas is not to establish an independent state for Palestinians except through the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state. Mealy mouthed suggestions to study the Palestinian issue on the Internet is hardly a great editorial. The editorial is probably superior to anything likely to come out of the CD, but that is not enough. In my opinion it did not deserve republication on the site.
As another Old Hoo….Very well stated. I agree 100%
Thank you for your comments. We agree wholeheartedly with you that Hamas’ massacre of innocents deserves the strongest condemnation possible — something that was not coming from the administration or other student newspaper at UVA. That’s why our Editorial Board repeatedly condemned the attacks in our editorial. We were only offering a “polite refutation” to those who were making what we see as a false argument: that Israel’s repeated attempts at a two-state solution were somehow justification for Hamas’ terrorism. Whether through diplomacy, a cease-fire, or strikes against military assets rather than civilians, we think most observers are hoping for a swift end to the terrorist violence against women, children, and families — and we hope you agree as well. Finally, as for urging our fellow students to educate themselves on the history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, we’d like to hope that the writer would prefer that to ill-informed students who are easily manipulated by terrorist propaganda. We’re hoping our classmates are willing to listen and learn for themselves, and as Jefferson put it, not be afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead. That’s one of the reasons we founded the Jefferson Independent.
There is a clear side of good versus evil here with these acts. Let’s make sure we are on the right side of a civil society; being ambivalent is not acceptable.
I don’t know whether it was true of the period between my graduation from the University and this week’s pro-Hamas demonstrations on the Grounds, but there was palpable anti-Semitism – among students, at least – in the University community when I attended. While not as brazen as this week’s hateful outpouring, it existed nonetheless. It was disgraceful then, it is disgusting to this day. Requiring applicants for admission to the U to view films taken in German concentration, labor and extermination camps by American, British, and other soldiers might not be possible: perhaps requiring aspiring faculty members to do so might dilute some of the ingrained enthusiasm for the goals and methods of the Palestinians: those who voice support for it seem oblivious to its evil nature.
Your article portrays the extravagant extent to which Israel has sought peace with it’s neighbors and the doctrinal hatred and call for the elimination of the Jews by those neighbors. The abhorrent protests by SPJ offers a moment of moral clarity that calls for an unequivocal response to condemn Hamas and Hamas sympathizers. Jim Ryan has not done so. He attempts to walk the fence as to not offend any people groups, but rather allows SPJ to use the Rotunda as a prop for these vile protesters. There can be no building bridges towards and acting compassionately towards those who applaud the slaughter of the innocents as Mr. Ryan suggests. These protestors and sympathizers are either naïve, ignorant, or indoctrinated. Either way, it is an indictment of our higher education system in general and the University itself. This is no longer the university I attended over 40 years ago. I have rescinded my Alumni membership until an unequivocal condemnation of the SJP occurs or Mr. Ryan resigns. Thank you for being a voice of reason at a once cherished University.