US Campuses Foster New Rise of Zionism – Analysis
- Meir Javedanfar
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Imagine a report stating that on university campuses, eighty-three percent of Black students had experienced or witnessed racism. One in four Black students felt compelled to take security precautions because of concerns for their safety. Two-thirds of Black students lacked confidence in their university’s ability to prevent racist incidents against them.
You would think that you’re reading a report from a South African university, produced during the apartheid years of 1948 -1994.
Change the word to Jewish students and revise the timing of the research findings to 2024, and you’d find similarities in this recent report.
Such outright discrimination is not happening in beer halls or dark gambling dungeons where drunkards or criminals frequent. They are happening on US university campuses – a supposed bastion of free thinking, liberal ideas, and the fight against discrimination through programs such as equality, diversity, and inclusion.
These institutions may not realize it yet, but such attacks on their campuses may be justifying and strengthening support for Zionism, especially among young Jews. They may also be creating their next generation of Israel supporters since these attacks reinforce the idea that, despite centuries of antisemitism, proportionally, Jews continue to be attacked in far bigger numbers than any other minority.Therefore, the founders of Israel in 1948 were justified in creating an independent state. So that Jews can protect themselves and not have to rely on the outside world for their protection.
The Israel-Palestine conflict has been going on for at least the last 78 years. Two years of that included the recent Gaza war, the worst war by far between the two sides.
Yet on US campuses, many Jews who wish to express the Israeli side of the argument feel intimidated to speak up. So, they self-censor. Those who believe that not just Israel, but Hamas, too, has agency and bears responsibility, feel intimidated and sometimes even excluded. Not just Jews. Gaza-born Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who lives in the US, advocates a two-state solution. Alkhatib is best known for being a fierce critic of Hamas. He often publicizes anti-Hamas views from Gaza and abuses of ordinary Palestinians at the hands of Hamas.
In a December 23, 2025, post, Alkhatib said a prestigious Ivy League university, which he did not name, turned down his offer for a presentation. This was because of how he was perceived “by average ‘pro-Palestinian’ students and communities.” In other words, because of his criticism of Hamas. The university in question did not want to face the backlash. Consequently, he was not invited.
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Quality academic research on the Israel-Palestine war is needed and must be encouraged. The failure to create a safe space for anti–Hamas views to be expressed on US campuses risks creating echo chambers.
The same applies to the failure to air and express views that portray Israel’s point of view. As the renowned British philosopher John Stuart Mill stated in his famous 1859 essay, “On Liberty”: “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.”
Most Israelis and Palestinians are tired of the ongoing conflict, bloodshed, death and the endless mourning. These past two years have been a living hell for both people, especially Gazans. The two-state solution may not be on the horizon, or even possible. Yet the last war has proven beyond doubt that we need to find a new model for stability and coexistence between the two sides.
This requires Israelis and Palestinians to have a genuine dialogue. We need to hear each other’s side of the story. To understand each other’s aspirations and concerns. We need genuine dialogue so that we can work out a new way forward for the future and for our children. US universities could play a central part in this. A fundamental shift needs to happen within them.
In the absence of such a major shift, they risk becoming an ideologically self-reinforcing venue for extremists, who are looking to validate their beliefs. One that outright denies the rights of Jewish people to a state (anti-Zionism) instead of valid criticism of Israeli policy.
The belief that Jews shouldn’t have a state, as per anti-Zionism, opens the door to the idea that they don’t deserve physical safety. This phenomenon only reinforces the belief that Zionism is just and necessary, that Jews, perhaps more than ever, need a safe and strong Israel.
Dr. Meir Javedanfar is an Iranian-Israeli lecturer, author, and commentator. He teaches various Iran-related courses at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel.
His X handle @Meirja.