Taking a page from the “Demands Playbook” – made by Hamas terrorists who want to be permitted to go unpunished for their heinous acts as part of a ceasefire deal – pro-Palestinian students who have taken over Columbia University have likewise stipulated amnesty as a condition for their withdrawal from the campus hall they have seized.
Erroneously believing that these students are in the driver’s seat, due to the lack of being challenged by their university’s administrators, they have adopted the tactics and strategies of the terrorists for whom they are advocating. As they feel empowered, they continue to overplay their hand, thinking that their nuisance value – as they disrupt studies during the last weeks of final exams – will result in authorities allowing them to escape all consequences for their troubling actions.
This is the new plan. Give us amnesty, and we’ll return the peace, but only after we have shown everyone what we are capable of doing: paralyzing an entire university, preventing Jewish students from entering their campus grounds and bringing attention to the fake cause of Palestinian genocide by Israel, the sworn enemy.
It almost worked, because Columbia officials have been unwilling to put an end to the shameful and dangerous events which have taken hold of the university since April 17 when similar demonstrations took place throughout American campuses – from one coast to the other.
Although a deadline had been given, requiring students to disband and evacuate the premises they had taken as theirs, nothing was done to enforce the line that had been drawn. Naturally, in the face of an unserious president, students had no incentive to leave, hence the amnesty demand.
But asking for amnesty is nothing more than a sure guarantee that the same intimidating behavior will be repeated in the future. Amnesty is the reward that makes it possible to pause the life of others whenever bullies determine that an injustice has been enacted. They go into protest mode, breaking and entering, defacing statues, scrawling hate on sidewalks, hurling Palestinian flags from buildings and renaming campus sites in honor of dead Gazans who were likely killed by Hamas terrorists.
It’s a winning hand and one which can be played over and over again as organized and well-funded activists hold institutions hostage in order to create the perfect dose of chaos mixed with rebellion and terror – no different from the successful temper tantrum of a toddler, which results in a reward despite their bad behavior.
SO WHY stop at campuses? Why not conduct these takeovers at companies, supermarkets, malls, sports events, religious institutions – or even on the highways and streets – in order to paralyze traffic and the free movement of individuals trying to go about their day? Where does it end? Or does it?
It only stands to reason that if there are no consequences for upending daily life, why would there be any incentive for unprincipled actors to stop harassing society? There are two response options: Society can either cave into the demands of these pampered, entitled bullies, in the hope of regaining the order which was abruptly snatched from it, or society can demand harsh consequences for the chaotic bedlam that they have created.
What everyone needs to understand, however, is that there is a steep price to pay for capitulating to these tyrants, who call themselves “supporters of human rights” yet are simultaneously denying rights to others.
To reward them, by granting them amnesty, sends a resounding message of a victory that was won by force and intimidation. It reinforces the worst tendencies to control others by disrupting their lives, making it impossible for any level of normalcy to exist while browbeating everyone into a coerced agreement, regardless of one’s personal beliefs.
This is their hope: to force alignment with one distorted point of view. There is no room for debate, discussion or even consideration of facts. Whatever is the “truth” they are advancing, that is the side people are expected to adopt and support, no questions asked.
But the moment that is done, freedom and liberty have been relinquished for the admittedly vital need to maintain a sense of order. It’s a very well-known strategy, which is employed by anyone trying to bring about surrender. If you harass and torment someone enough, they will end up doing whatever it is to stop the agony they are experiencing.
IN THE CASE of Hamas, their hope is that we will give up whatever it takes to get back all of our hostages. If that requires a Palestinian state, then so be it. To realize the prize, they are counting on the agony, which we are feeling each day, knowing that the indignities being suffered by those who were taken into captivity are worse than the fires of hell, so extricating them from that cruel existence is worth just about any price.
In the case of Columbia students, parents and those who study there, they are so frustrated by the fear tactics, intimidation and full-on seizure of the school – which costs them $90,000 per year – that the protesters believe that even the most outrageous demand of amnesty will be granted so that the resumption of normal education can return.
Once again, it’s all predicated upon the hope that people will do anything to go back to their beloved order and normalcy. But for those who are truly searching for tranquility and an end to chaos, foregoing punishment and consequences is counter-productive to the accountability that must be borne by those who inflicted grief and pain upon their fellow man.
The need to endure to the end is paramount in order to obtain lasting societal, peaceful co-existence in a diverse world, where so many different perspectives are at play – because a quick-fix, by way of capitulation, will only result in the repetition of what crazed activists will view as a sure win for their side.
Granting amnesty to bullies is a losing endeavor, whether they’re Hamas terrorists or student activists. No one should be able to get away scot-free, emboldened all the more to continue their aspiration to dominate others through force. If they are not stopped now, society will reap a whirlwind of tyranny – the likes of which hasn’t been felt for nearly a century. But make no mistake, it is hovering over our heads, waiting to make its return engagement – with the help of hateful people.
The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.