Current antisemitic protests on U.S. campuses are “horrifying” and “the worst that we’ve seen since the 30s,” according to Israel’s Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, who described the “orchestrated, organized, [and] funded” demonstrations as the “nightmare” of America and Western civilization, arguing that supporters of Hamas are enemies of both.
He also lamented the Biden administration’s continuous pressure against Israel while insisting the president’s appeasement of Tehran and removal of sanctions was a “tragic mistake” that allowed for Hamas and other Iranian proxy groups to obtain more weapons and destabilize the Middle East.
In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News on Thursday, Chikli described the “delicate” state of the current relationship between the Jewish state and the Biden administration, noting that while it appeared strong following the October 7 massacre, it seems to have dwindled since.
“We were all moved by President Biden’s speech that was made at the beginning of the war [describing the] ‘sheer evil’ [of Hamas]. We saw America standing with us. But as time went by, it became more and more complicated,” he told Breitbart News on the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Hungary 2024.
“Horrifying” Antisemitic Campus Protests
Chikli, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, called out Biden’s recent moral confusion whereby his condemnation of antisemitic protests on college campuses — which Chikli described as both “horrifying” and “the worst that we’ve seen since the 30s” — was coupled with a criticism of “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”
REPORTER: “Do you condemn the antisemitic protests on college campuses?”
BIDEN: There were very fine people on both sides.
REPORTER: “Should the Columbia University president resign?”
BIDEN: “I didn’t know that.”
*shuffles away* pic.twitter.com/PHaO3VVZZO
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 22, 2024
“To me, that was very, very disappointing because I think that this antisemitism, the harassment against Jewish students, the support of Hamas, the calling for global intifada — which is calling for bloodshed and violence — is something that you need to be against, period,” he said.
#BREAKING Clashes and battles over tents – MASS ARRESTS at the NYU, ‘Liberated Zone’ encampment tents REMOVED as massive ammount of police continues to clear out the protesters.
This is happening right now.
Video by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 [email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/qkUP5w22SW
— Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) April 23, 2024
Highlighting a series of decisive moves taken by the Biden administration against supposedly rampant Israeli settler violence in recent weeks, he noted that, unfortunately, the “clear voice” from the U.S. administration that was first heard after October 7 is no longer heard.
“We want a clear voice and [not] ‘we are against Hamas, but also against some settlers or a farmer in the middle of Samaria [the West Bank]’ – as if [Hamas’ murderous brutality] was the equivalent to ‘settler violence,’” he said, mocking the sanctioning of a handful of Israelis because a “leftist organization who made a video [attempting to] parallel [minor Israeli actions] to the atrocities of Hamas.”
“This is insane!” he added.
In November, President Joe Biden directed top aides to craft visa bans and sanctions specifically targeting “extremist” Israeli settlers. However, critics argue that reports of Israeli settler violence are exaggerated or misconstrued, often relying on unsubstantiated reports, biased NGOs, and minimal evidence to portray a distorted narrative.
“Shift” in the Democrat Party
However, he stated, the current issues should stand beyond any conflict between conservatives and liberals, who actually share some basic values, such as the “cherishing” of life and freedom.
“There is a common ground between liberals and conservatives, and we are losing this mutual ground, and I think it is far deeper and more dangerous than their relationship with Israel,” he said, calling it a “threat to the future of America [and] Western civilization.
“This is bigger than us,” he added. “This is bigger than this moment.”
Noting that Israel also has “true friends” in the Democratic Party, including Rep. Ritchie Torres, who has taken “bold leadership” in standing with Israel, he explained that when it comes to a “true policy on the ground,” there has been a “shift” in the Biden administration and the Democrat Party, specifically on the issue of Rafah — Hamas’s last remaining stronghold — where the Biden administration “put so much pressure” on Israel, instead of on Hamas and Qatar.
U.S. President Joe Biden joins Israel’s Prime Minister for the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting, in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (MIRIAM ALSTER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
He then explained that there is no “middle path” between supporting western, Judeo-Christian values and the State of Israel on one hand, and the radical ideology of Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib on the other.
“If you support Hamas, you’re not [just] an enemy of the state of Israel, you’re an enemy of America … [and] of Western civilization as a whole,” he said
Expressing his belief that most people understand Israel and the existential threats it faces, he argued that “there will be a backlash” to the threats to Jewish students and professors taking place on campuses in the U.S. due to radical pro-Palestinian activists:
There will be a backlash to this violence, this hatred, this disgusting treatment of Jewish students who have done nothing wrong. And also the fact that people cannot go to the university. Forget about the Jews, Israel, Palestine — forget about all of it. Just ordinary students who want to learn science, they’ve done nothing wrong. And the campuses were conquered by this Muslim Brotherhood organization. We are seeing similar tent [encampments], similar slogans. It’s all orchestrated, organized, funded, and we know the organizations. We know CAIR, we know Linda Sarsour, we know SJP, we know [American] Muslims for Palestine. We know all of the organizations. And I hope the Americans will also learn the nature of these organizations who are trying to play themselves as friendly but are the nightmare of America and the nightmare of Western civilization. Obviously, they are enemies of Israel and enemies of Jewish people, but this is far far beyond the State of Israel and the Jews.
He also criticized Ilhan Omar for stating she was “enormously proud” of her daughter, Isra Hirsi, who was suspended last week from Barnard for being involved with the unauthorized “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” that was later dismantled by officers with the NYPD.
I am enormously proud of my daughter @israhirsi.
She has always led with courage and compassion, from organizing a statewide school walk out on the 20th anniversary of Columbine at the age of 15, to leading the biggest youth climate rally at our nation’s Capitol at 16, and now…
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 19, 2024
“She is very proud of her daughter — [but] what [is she proud of]? The raping of innocent women at a party [by Gaza terrorists at the Nova festival and] in their homes? What are you so proud about? How can you be proud of Hamas? How can we negotiate supporting Hamas?” he asked.
Effects of Biden’s Misdirected Pressure
The Diaspora and Antisemitism Minister then highlighted a Qatari official’s recent speech marked by calls for violence against Israel, including a warning that October 7 was “just the beginning.”
“This is serious,” he exclaimed, “[and yet] no sanctions against Qatar, no demand to move away the leaders of Hamas [residing there] — they’re paying no price,” he lamented.
Instead of “maximum pressure” on Qatar, it is redirected at Israel, he noted, explaining that the IDF could have already entered Rafah if not for the pressure not to operate there, as if it were some “sacred” city:
Yes, we need to do everything to prevent the killing and injury of innocent civilians, although we saw how many of them participated in the atrocities. And we need to remember that every day — thousands of people invaded Israel and burned families alive. We’re not going to forget it; not even in the century ahead. We saw them come in with their sticks — old people — to rape, to rob. And yet, we don’t seek to be like Hamas. We don’t want to … target civilians. We want only Hamas terrorists.
Thanking the current administration for passing the recent aid package to support Israel’s military efforts, he expressed hope that the Biden administration will offer its support to Israel to “finish the job” in Rafah, to eliminate Hamas, and to “create the conditions” that will allow us to bring back the country’s hostages.
Though Israel needs to “lean more towards independent industrial efforts” in its weapons manufacturing and be “less dependent” on other nations, he insisted that it is a “wise strategy” for the Western world to work together.
Police intervene and arrest more than 100 students at New York University (NYU) who continue their demonstration on campus in solidarity with the students at Columbia University and to oppose Israel. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Iran’s “Ecosystem” of Terror
Chikli also insisted that Israel needs to “create a different situation up north” where the Iran-backed Hezbollah group poses a significant threat, explaining that “negotiations” are not an effective way to achieve security from terrorists.
“It’s a terror organization. We need to act against terrorist organizations [and] the way you act against a terrorist organization is you go and kill the bastards; that’s it,” he said.
Describing Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran as “all part of an ecosystem” that starts with Tehran, the Israeli government figure called for “serious sanctions” against the energy business of Iran and against the individual leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We also need to bear in mind the fact that the sanctions being removed [by the Biden administration] was a tragic mistake, and it made it possible for the Houthis, Hamas and for Hezbollah to receive more weapons,” he said, calling it the consequence of “allowing Iran to take the billions of dollars that were frozen because of the sanctions.”
“It was a major, major, major mistake — and let’s not repeat it,” he added.
Calling Iran an “enemy, first and foremost of the Iranian people — of Iranian women, of Iranian homosexuals,” Chikli described it as “shocking” that not enough “loud and clear” statements are heard demanding that the regime be brought down.
“America possesses an enormous amount of responsibility and power, and they can be far more effective — [which] we saw with the previous [Trump] administration,” he said, lauding the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, which “shattered the Middle East.”
He described such strength, as well as the imposing of “devastating sanctions” against Iran, as “the only policy that can work” against the Islamic theocracy.
Last month, Chikli noted that antisemitism in European cities is reaching 1930s levels and London is the worst of them all, warning of mass migration, radicalization, and the hard left coming together and “serious consequences” for inaction.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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