On Tuesday, I told a colleague that after several visits to UCLA's campus this week and last week, it was possible that a group of pro-Israel people would lose patience with the university and simply storm the "Palestine" encampment.
I joked that L.A. Jews weren't Ashkenazi intellectuals like me, but rather Persian Jews who fled the Iranian revolution. As one sign at the pro-Israel counter-protest Sunday at UCLA said: "My parents didn't leave Iran for this shit."
Insert compulsory condemnation of vigilantism here, but note that it was only the arrival of the vigilantes that triggered local and state law enforcement to do anything, after letting the thugs at the encampment bully people for days.
Local media are picking up the activists' mantra that police took too long to arrive at the scene of the battles overnight. No -- police were told to stand down from the moment the encampment arrived. UCLA coddled the thugs.
Jews lived through a version of 1930s Germany as the thugs, running security and giving orders to university contractors, were able to police the perimeter of their own encampment, denying students access to classes and the whole area.
I personally was assaulted by the thugs when I tried to exercise my right as a journalist (and a member of the public) to film the encampment. The whole situation was intolerable and the university and the governor were OK with it.
After Sunday's counter-protest, and counter-counter-protest, I told friends that I was surprised there hadn't been violence already. There were no police around and UCLA was relying on the Palestinian activists/thugs for security.
So you'll hear complaints this morning about the long time it took police to arrive. The fact is that UCLA, the UC leaders, and the governor kept police out and let the thugs run things for a week. A reaction was almost inevitable.
If you watch video of the confrontations, you'll hear pro-Israel vigilantes cheering the arrival of the police, chanting "USA! USA!". That's what they wanted all along. It's a shame that it took violence and vigilantism to get it.
What a week it was for President Donald Trump -- and what a week it's going to be, as we prepare to celebrate the 249th anniversary of the United States. From the BBB to Iran, to the jobs numbers later this week -- so much news!
We'll focus -- unusually so -- on a recap of recent events, just because they have been so profound -- but we'll also look ahead to things to come.
Special guests:
Assemblyman Carl DeMaio -- on California gas prices and Gavin Newsom
Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the BBB
Carrie Severino -- Judicial Crisis Network, on recent SCOTUS decisions
James Rosen -- Newsmax White House correspondent, on the media
Frances Martel -- Breitbart News foreign editor, on Iran and Israel
Alan Dershowitz -- lawyer and author, on Iran and antisemitism
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call in: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is about the rebellion of Korach against Moses. The story is a powerful lesson about the role of good leaders -- and the unique challenges they face, as it is human nature to question why others should have authority.
Korach's rebellion fails because it is ultimately based on personal interests, even though it uses the language of common grievance. Moses prevails because he remains true to his faith even when confronted by a crowd.
We have seen a lot of "Korach" lately in my particular political world, as a cohort of "talkers" has tried to challenge the Republican "establishment" over support for Israel. They lost badly this week because their protests was empty.
It's never a good idea to bet against Israel, or against God. My advice to those tempted to join such rebellions is to search their own hearts, and ask if they are acting out of conviction or out of some other motive, perhaps conformity.
There is another lesson in Moses's reaction. When God says he will ...
A new phenomenon has appeared over the past several months, which burst into full view during the recent "12 Day War": the so-called "woke right," a small but vocal group of anti-Israel commentators and podcasters.
We are talking about a small minority of people -- only about 6% of Trump supporters, according to one recent poll. But they are prolific on social media, and are therefore believed to be somewhat influential.
Some of these voices used to be avowedly pro-Israel, but turned against the Jewish state in recent months. Often, their changes of heart are ascribed to antisemitism, but usually that is too simplistic an explanation.
It is true that a few have used antisemitic language and themes. In some cases, these commentators had been targeted previously by left-wing Jewish groups like the Anti Defamation League for cancelation for stating conservative ideas. Once targeted in this way, they became more hostile to Jews, and to Israel, because they felt they had been attacked first -- which they had been, ...
