I largely agree.
As you're aware, I'm sure, my position on the Palestine issue is pretty clear in that I think Palestinians have a fundamental right to self-determination. Israel's 50-year-old occupation and settlement policy are as responsible for the radicalization of the population as anything else. While I believe the conduct of the IDF in Gaza has been overly reckless and cruel to civilians, I also fully acknowledge that Israel has a right to self-defense and support its defeat of Hamas's military.
As an American citizen and taxpayer, I'm really uncomfortable with the degree of military support and diplomatic cover we provide their government, which allows them to operate in such a brazen manner in both Gaza and the West Bank.
The kinetic nature of warfare, with all its ongoing deaths and destruction, inflames passions and gives a sense of urgency and energy to protests. I fully understand that, but there's little that these protestors can accomplish in the short time necessary to affect what's happening RIGHT NOW. So, I'm not sure this particular issue is where I'd invest all my blood, sweat, and tears if I were a student activist.
Now, I'm not saying it's unworthy of protests, and, to be honest, 60-some-odd protestors (initial count from yesterday) on a campus of 50,000 students probably isn't far out of line with how people prioritize issues. To me, it's the heavy-handed response by Hartzell and the State that's created the media firestorm.
Having said all that, they (we all) need to be focusing more on the bigger picture, which is defeating theocratic fascism and white nationalism at home as that encompasses so many fucking other issues (free elections, racial equality, abortion rights, privacy rights, LGBTQ rights, gender equality, public education, etc.). Without tackling this fundamental shit, we won't be able to tackle any of the other challenges we're facing, including climate change and assaults on democracy abroad.
I'd love those kids to be building a much broader coalition focusing on fighting authoritarianism at home, giving them the moral authority and context for their protestations against Israeli policies in the Occupied Territories.