TL/DR –
A rally occurred at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, where more than 100 people expressed support for Israel amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The event came a week after pro-Palestinian protests and followed a wave of similar demonstrations on college campuses across the US. The attendees of the pro-Israel rally called for Hamas to release hostages captured in the October 7, 2023 attack that killed approximately 1,200 people, and also expressed concern about the rising antisemitic incidents in the US, which the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported as the highest since 1979.
Support for Israel Expressed at Arizona State University Amid Gaza Conflict
A recent gathering of over 100 individuals at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus voiced support for Israel in the ongoing Gaza conflict. This display follows last week’s pro-Palestinian protests that led to over 70 arrests.
At the event, participants, many bearing both Israeli and American flags, called for the release of remaining hostages captured by Hamas during an attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people died.
The pro-Israel gathering comes amid a nationwide wave of pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses. Critics are condemning Israel’s attacks that have reportedly resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, including women, children, aid workers, and journalists. UNICEF reports that the Palestinian Ministry of Health has recorded over 30,000 Palestinian deaths and more than 13,000 children killed since Oct. 7.
Over 130 hostages, including five Americans, are believed to remain in Hamas captivity since the start of its war with Israel last fall.
ASU’s Hillel chapter executive director, Debbie Yunker Kail, urged unity among the Jewish community, acknowledging the challenging times facing Jewish students on campuses across the country due to increasing incidents of anti-Semitism.
Notably, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 163 anti-Semitic incidents in Arizona alone in 2023, a major increase from 53 the previous year. Nationwide, incidents rose to 8,873, representing a 140% surge from 2022, marking 2023 as the year with the highest number of recorded anti-Semitic incidents since the ADL began collecting data in 1979.
In regards to the criticism of Israel for non-combatant deaths, Rabbi Shmuel Tiechtel, executive director of Chabad at ASU, asserted Israel’s right to self-defense, while also expressing his personal wish for no civilians to be killed. A few counter-protestors across the street waved Palestinian flags, making their stance known.
The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to limit death and destruction in Gaza in response to a case alleging that Israel’s military action against Hamas amounts to genocide. Israel, however, has argued that Hamas fighters use civilian populated areas, such as hospitals, as hideouts.
ASU police officers were present, intervening when necessary to keep the peace between opposing sides. Many attendees expressed their own personal reasons for attending the event, with one Native American woman equating Israel’s actions in Gaza to what the United States did to indigenous tribes.
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