Israel
Brandeis University Takes Firm Stand Against SJP, Alleges Hamas Support
In a significant move, Brandeis University has announced that it will no longer recognize the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). This decision follows allegations that the organization has engaged in actions that could be seen as supporting Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist orginization.
According to reports from Fox News, Brandeis SJP, which had planned a “Vigil for Palestine” event, expressed their disappointment via an Instagram post, claiming they were “unjustly de-charted.”
They argued that the university, an institution that values social justice, was attempting to silence them from speaking their truth. The post also included the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The university informed the Brandeis SJP in a letter that they would be derecognized and would no longer receive funding or be permitted to conduct campus events or use the Brandeis name.
The letter highlighted the National SJP’s call to engage in actions that support Hamas in its call for the violent elimination of Israel and the Jewish people. These tactics, according to the university, are not protected by its principles. The letter emphasized that students who engage in such conduct would be considered in violation of the university’s student code of conduct.
Brandeis spokeswoman Julie Jette clarified that the decision was not related to the canceled vigil but stemmed from allegations of supporting Hamas. She referred to Brandeis University President Ronald Liebowitz’s op-ed in the Boston Globe, in which he emphasized that student organizations that engage in protests calling for violence or the “annihilation” of the Jewish State should lose all privileges.
Rabbi Seth Winberg, the executive director of Brandeis Hillel, praised the university’s decision, underscoring that it showed that supporting terrorism and creating a hostile campus environment has consequences. He emphasized the importance of campuses being safe places for all students and commended the move in light of increased antisemitism on campuses.
In October, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took a similar stand, ordering state universities to disband organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine due to their perceived support for Hamas. The decision appeared to be based on federal law that deems providing material support or resources to foreign terrorist organizations as illegal.
Brandeis University’s decision to derecognize the SJP chapter is seen by many as a proactive stance against alleged support for a militant group with a history of violence. It underscores the university’s commitment to ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all students.
International
Trump’s Middle East Policy Taking Shape
Follow Steve Postal: @HebraicMosaic
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What would a new Trump administration mean for the Middle East? Expect the following:
Increased Pressure on Iran and its Proxies
Brian Hook, Trump’s former special envoy to Iran who is believed to be leading Trump’s transition team for the State Department, stated that the new Trump administration would seek to “…isolate Iran diplomatically and weaken them economically, so that they can’t fund all of the violence…” coming from Iran’s proxies, “…all of whom destabilize Israel and our Gulf partners.” This approach contrasts with the Biden-Harris administration, who engaged the Islamic Republic diplomatically and economically, and even removed the Houthis from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity list from February 2021 through January 2024. That being said, Hook also stated that the new Trump administration would have “no interest in regime change” in Iran, and that decisions about the future of Iran lies with its people.
The Trump administration may green light an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. GOP spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko refused to say whether President-elect Trump would approve of Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear sites, stating that Trump should speak for himself on this issue and will do so when he assumes office. However, Trump had stated in October that Israel should strike Iran’s nuclear sites. In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration vocally opposed Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear sites or oil fields, and Israel’s attack plans were leaked to Iran through someone in the Biden-Harris administration’s Defense department.
Striving to End Wars in Lebanon and Gaza
According to Pipko, President-elect Trump wants Israel to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon quickly, decisively, and with victory. Pipko contrasted this approach with the Biden-Harris administration’s “back and forth” policy, and that the Biden-Harris administration was pressuring how Israel conducts war based on election considerations. The Biden-Harris administration was guilty of “armchair quarterbacking” Israel’s wars in an unproductive way, including by leaking Israel’s plans to strike Lebanon, opposing the Rafah invasion, and opposing the killing of several arch-terrorists.
Trump will also likely prioritize the release of the hostages; Trump recently threatened Hamas, stating that if they did not free its hostages before inauguration day, it will pay “a very big price.” In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration has been spinning its wheels in endless failed diplomacy with Qatar, having not produced a hostage deal with Hamas since November 2023.
Pursuing a Conditional Peace with Palestinians
President-elect Donald Trump will likely re-visit his 2020 peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians, according to Brian Hook. Regarding the 2020 plan, Hook stated that “much of that work is still relevant today.”
On the issue of a Palestinian state, expect that the Trump administration won’t pursue a Palestinian state unconditionally for its own sake, as the Biden-Harris administration has. Hook conceded that Trump’s 2020 plan, which was endorsed by Israel and U.S.’ allies in the Gulf, “had a path to a two-state solution.” But Hook also recognized that Israelis are not focused on a Palestinian state now, and are instead focused on protecting themselves from terrorism in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Additionally, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas outright rejected the 2020 plan, and the plan also required the PA to provide security guarantees for Israel, recognize Israel, and allow Israeli citizens to remain in Judea and Samaria, all of which the PA did not agree to. If the new Trump administration seeks to revive this plan, it will likely revive these conditions for a Palestinian state as well. The PA will then in turn likely reject it a second time, proving again that the PA is not a partner for peace.
Expanding the Abraham Accords
President-elect Trump is also poised to expand the Abraham Accords. Trump brokered normalization deals between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Reportedly, the previous Trump administration was on the verge of expanding the Abraham Accords to Indonesia and Mauritania, but were prevented from doing so once the administration’s term expired. During the past Trump administration, Saudi Arabia had been trying to get Pakistan to join the Abraham Accords as well.
In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration failed to add any countries to the Abraham Accords. Most notably is the administration’s failure to clinch an Israel-Saudi Arabia deal after chilling US relations with Saudi Arabiaand insisting on a Palestinian state as an integral part of any deal. The Biden-Harris administration seems content with now pursuing a bilateral US-Saudi deal that ices out Israel, which would completely undermine the spirit of the Abraham Accords.
Jared Kushner has had multiple discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the issue of US-Israel-Saudi relations since President-elect Trump left office. So given past efforts, the new Trump administration could clinch Abraham Accords deals with Indonesia, Mauritania, Oman, and/or the big prize, Saudi Arabia.
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