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Tuesday, May 7, 2024

IDF Begins Rafah Offensive

Jerusalem Post: The IDF Spokesperson said on Monday night that the military conducted precise, targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in Eastern Rafah. The Prime Minister’s Office said earlier on Monday night that the War Cabinet had agreed to continue with Israel’s planned Rafah operation. “The War Cabinet unanimously decided that Israel continues the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to promote the release of our hostages and the other goals of the war,” the statement read (Jerusalem Post). Joe Truzman: Footage from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing where gunfire can be clearly heard in the background (X). Times of Israel: An Egyptian official says the operation appears to be limited in scope. He and Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV say Israeli officials informed the Egyptians that the troops would withdraw after completing a targeted operation. On Sunday, Hamas fighters near the Rafah crossing fired mortars into southern Israel, killing four Israeli soldiers. A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official confirm that Israeli tanks have entered the southern Gaza town of Rafah (Times of Israel).

United States Looks to Suspend Weapons Shipments to Israel As They Move on Rafah

Huffington Post: The U.S. reportedly put a hold last week on a weapons shipment to Israel ― a stunning diplomatic shift as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to go against the Biden administration’s warnings and move forward with a military invasion of the Gazan city of Rafah. The alleged pause in large shipment of offensive weapons appears to be the first instance of the Biden administration withholding U.S.-made arms from Israel since Oct. 7, when Netanyahu launched a military campaign on Gaza in response to an attack by Hamas militants that killed about 1,200 people and took around 250 hostage, roughly 100 of whom are suspected to still be alive in captivity (Huffington Post). Axios: The White House declined to comment. Netanyahu hinted at tensions with the Biden administration in a statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day issued Sunday. “In the terrible Holocaust, there were great world leaders who stood by idly; therefore, the first lesson of the Holocaust is: If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us. And if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone,” he said (Axios). David Friedman: The weaponry that America appears to be withholding from Israel is very precise and accurate. It will assist Israel in minimizing civilian casualties in Rafah when it begins its battle to eradicate the four Hamas battalions that continue to threaten Israel and its citizens. What is the US hoping to achieve here (X)?

Hamas Leader Praises Campus Protests, Expresses Desire to “Destroy Israel”

Daily Wire: A top leader in one of the world’s largest terrorist organizations praised the left-wing pro-Hamas protests that have erupted on college campuses across America over the last two weeks, saying that they are causing President Joe Biden to weaken his support for Israel. The remarks late last week from Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem were translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute. “Biden is under internal and external pressure because of his policy and approach,” he said. “The pressure within America is more significant. He is at risk of losing the elections because of Gaza.” “When the American people take a stand in support of Gaza … we salute and applaud them,” he continued. He said the Iranian-backed terror group, which is based in Lebanon, hopes that the protests so drastically shift public sentiment in the U.S. that “America will no longer support Israel to such an extent.” “Without support, Israel is nothing,” he continued. “We would not have to work hard in order to destroy Israel. Without support, it will be destroyed” (Daily Wire). Memri: Hizbullah Deputy Sec.-Gen. Sheikh Naim Qassem: We Salute the Americans Who Are Taking a Stand in Support of Gaza; Their Protests Are Important Especially Because They Will Have a Great Impact on the U.S. Elections (X).

Columbia University Scratches Commencement Ceremony

Wall Street Journal: Columbia University canceled its main commencement ceremony but will still go ahead with smaller-scale graduations. The ceremony, which was scheduled for May 15, has taken place outdoors on its New York City campus where students had set up a pro-Palestinian encampment that was taken down by police last week. The protests over the Israel-Hamas war that have swept campuses nationwide have prompted university administrators to rethink commencement plans with a goal of protecting students and guests from potentially ugly and violent political disputes. Columbia said it will still go ahead with smaller ceremonies for its different schools, including its nursing, journalism and teaching schools. Smaller ceremonies that were scheduled to be held outdoors on the university’s campus are being moved indoors (Wall Street Journal). CBS: The university said despite the changes, the students will get the celebration they want, and the revised plan is a result of conversations with students about what sort of program they preferred (CBS).

Parents, Irate With Universities, Ask for Refunds for Skipped Classes, Commencement Ceremonies

Wall Street Journal: Colleges already have a student revolt on their hands. Now their parents are rebelling, too. Parents paying as much as $90,000 for their sons and daughters to attend elite universities are angry and frustrated with colleges’ responses to the Gaza protests. Whether their kids are protesting, counterprotesting or trying to stay out of it, parents are demanding that schools do more to keep them safe and learning. They are requesting tuition refunds where classes have been canceled and contacting college counselors to ask how to get their money back. Parents are also threatening not to donate in the future. College officials say they are trying to keep students safe, adding security measures while also trying to respect students’ rights to demonstrate (Wall Street Journal).

Anti-Israel Encampments Spring Up in Oxford, Cambridge Campuses in the UK

Daily Mail: Students pitched tents outside the Pitts Rivers museum in Oxford as they demanded an end to violence in Gaza and the release of hostages. By lunchtime around 70 students have pitched up at the camp. At the same time, Cambridge students armed with tents, gazebos and sleeping bags set up on the front lawn of King’s College in protest against ‘Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.’ At Oxford’s camp, named the ‘liberated zone,’ students pinned up a board of six demands including calls to boycott Israeli genocide, stop banking with Barclays and help rebuild Gaza’s education system. Cambridge for Palestine said it will ‘not move’ from the encampment until the university agrees to four demands including disclosing financial ties with complicit organizations and protecting students at risk (Daily Mail). Jewish Chronicle: Encampments in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza have been springing up at multiple British universities in recent weeks. Encampments have been established in Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Warwick, Bristol, and Leeds. Last week Goldsmiths capitulated to the demands of students who barricaded themselves in a library demanding among other things that the university scrap the IHRA definition of antisemitism and offer more scholarships for Palestinian students. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with university vice-chancellors later this month during which they will be asked to explain what they are doing to combat antisemitism and intimidatory behavior on campus (Jewish Chronicle).

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MIT Backtracks DEI Faculty Requirements: “They Don’t Work”

National Review: MIT will no longer require diversity statements in its faculty-hiring process, making it the first elite university to abandon the practice. The decision was made by MIT president Sally Kornbluth, with support from the school’s provost and six academic deans. “My goals are to tap into the full scope of human talent, to bring the very best to MIT, and to make sure they thrive once here,” Kornbluth said. “We can build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don’t work” (National Review). UnHerd: MIT embraced the diversity statement trend. In late 2023, the university’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering sought an assistant professor “in fields from fundamental nuclear science to practical applications of nuclear technology in energy, security and quantum engineering.” Applicants were required to submit “a statement regarding their views on diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including past and current contributions as well as their vision and plans for the future in these areas.” Such requirements have long been controversial, and the basic argument against them is simple: “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has come to connote a set of controversial views about identity, power, and oppression (UnHerd).

Only 38% of Americans Believe President Biden Can Fix the Economy

Newsmax: Only 38% of U.S. adults, an all-time low, said they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence in President Joe Biden to carry out or recommend the right steps for the national economy, according to the latest Gallup poll. That is significantly below the 46% who said they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence in former President Donald Trump to do or recommend the right thing for the economy (Newsmax). RNC Research: CBS: “Two-thirds of voters think the economy was better under President Trump!” HAKEEM JEFFRIES: “That’s just not the case.” It is, in fact, the case: Inflation has averaged 5.6% under Biden; it averaged 1.9% under Trump. Real average weekly earnings are down 3.9% under Biden; they were up 8.2% under Trump. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was about 2.7% when Biden took office; it’s about 7.3% today. Gas prices are about 53% higher than when Biden took office (X). Gallup: Roughly one-third of independents say they are confident in Biden, Powell and both parties’ congressional leaders. Trump earns higher confidence from independents (45%) (Gallup).

Biden’s Title IX Ruling Requires Schools to Call CPS on “Non-Conforming” Parents

Daily Wire: In the days since President Joe Biden’s administration published sweeping revisions to Title IX rules, much of the focus has been on how the updates are likely to impact female athletes — but that’s far from the only concern. Critics quickly pointed out that those updates, which the Biden administration said were supposed to provide more protections for LGBTQ students, could be used to protect trans-identifying males competing on women’s sports teams. But according to attorney Candice Jackson, who served as Acting Assistant Secretary in the Department of Education during the Trump administration, the rule changes could lead to further complications once applied in conjunction with policies that are already in place — specifically with regard to schools being “mandatory reporters” of suspected abuse (Daily Wire). Candice Jackson: A disturbing corollary of Biden’s Title IX Rule: w/ policies reflecting the Ed Dept’s position that refusing to treat someone “consistent w/ gender identity” damages mental health, schools will now HAVE TO consider reporting “non-affirming” parents to Child Protective Services (X).

10.

Judge Imposes Another Fine on Donald Trump for Violating Gag Order

Wall Street Journal: The third week of Donald Trump’s hush-money trial started with a bang when the judge threatened to jail the former president, then took a methodical turn when prosecutors began walking the jury through the business records at the heart of their case. Before jurors entered Monday, Justice Juan Merchan ruled Trump had violated his gag order for a 10th time and fined him $1,000 for claiming in an interview that the jury was mostly Democrats and that it was picked too quickly. “Going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction,” Merchan said, looking directly at Trump, who was seated at the defense table (Wall Street Journal). Fox News: Trump, who is standing trial over 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, has railed against the gag order as “unconstitutional” and accused Merchan of “election interference” while slamming the case overall as a “scam” promoted by the Biden administration. Trump said in his remarks Monday that the trial will last an additional two to three weeks, which he said delighted Merchan because it will keep Trump away from the presidential campaign trail (Fox News).