‘Horrific, has to be stopped’: Netanyahu on pro-Palestine protests on US campuses

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the ongoing pro-Palestine protests at several US universities on Wednesday, stating that what is happening on American campuses is “horrific” and reminiscent of what happened in German universities in the 1930s during Hitler’s time.

In a video message, he alleged that there is an “exceptional rise of antisemitism” in the US and stated “more has to be done” to address this.

“What’s happening on America’s college campuses is horrific. Antisemitic mobs have taken over leading universities. They call for the annihilation of Israel. They attack Jewish students. They attack the Jewish faculty. This is reminiscent of what happened in German universities in the 1930s,” Netanyahu said.

Several top-level US universities, including Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and New York University, witnessed massive protests with hundreds being arrested and university functions being disrupted. The pro-Palestine protest, which had been ongoing for months, flared up after a recent police action at Columbia University.

“It’s unconscionable. It has to be stopped. It has to be condemned and condemned unequivocally,” the Israeli Prime Minister said.

“The response of several university presidents was shameful. Now, fortunately, state, local, and federal officials, many of them have responded differently, but there has to be more. More has to be done,” he added.

Netanyahu noted that along with chanting “death to Israel” and “death to the Jews”, they are also shouting “death to America”.

“This tells us that there is an antisemitic surge here that has terrible consequences. We see an exceptional rise of antisemitism throughout America and Western societies as Israel tries to defend against genocidal terrorists,” he said.

Meanwhile, the White House said that US President Joe Biden believes free speech, debate and nondiscrimination are important on college campuses.