For the protesters and their supporters, the pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations across the globe are part of a proud tradition of student activism that includes the anti-Vietnam War protests in the 1960s, and the calls to end South African Apartheid in the 1980s. And just as those past protests are now widely accepted to have been on the right side of history, today’s campus protesters are confident that history will prove their cause was just.
Critics disagree. They say the protesters have often downplayed or made excuses for Hamas’ murderous attack on Oct. 7; that the demonstrators fail to consider the complexity of a conflict that cannot be simplified into simple binary terms; and that some of the protesters have indulged in violent and hateful rhetoric towards Israelis and Jews.
Arguing in favour of the resolution is Ben Burgis. He’s a columnist with Jacobin and an adjunct philosophy professor at Rutgers University.
Arguing against the resolution is James Kirchick. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. He’s also a columnist for Tablet magazine, and a writer at large for Air Mail.
SOURCES:
Columbia Jewish & Israeli Students, WPA Film Library, Getty Images, ABC 7 New York, The Hill.
The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths.
Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/
To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.
To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership
Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.
This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/
Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz
Senior Producer: Daniel Kitts
Editor: Kieran Lynch
Be it Resolved, Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
Be it Resolved, the elites have betrayed America
Munk Dialogue with Charles Asher Small: Qatar's influence on campus protests
Be it Resolved, Israel should take out Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Munk Dialogue with Ambassador Dennis Ross: a new Middle East strategy
Munk Dialogue with Gregg Carlstrom: Israel and Iran's shadow war explodes into the open
Munk Dialogue with Richard Haass: a crumbling world order
Be it Resolved, TikTok is a national security threat and should be sold or banned.
Be it Resolved, American workers have never had it so good
Be it Resolved, Donald Trump is a weak general election candidate.
Munk Dialogue with Rose Gottemoeller: assessing Russia’s nuclear threats
Munk Dialogue with Gilead Sher: why a two-state solution is the only viable path to peace
Be it Resolved, the Democrats need a new nominee
Munk Dialogue with Sarah Paine: the rise of the Russia-China axis
Be it Resolved, western governments must resume funding to UNRWA
Munk Dialogue with John Mearsheimer: why Ukraine needs to break ties with the West
Munk Dialogue with David Horovitz: is it possible to defeat Hamas?
Munk Dialogue with Michael Knights: Houthi attacks in the Red Sea
Munk Dialogue with Lenore Skenazy: the importance of raising free-range kids
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
50 Tastes Of Gray
Dear Alice | Interior Design
Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast
Frankenstein
Grimms’ Fairy Tales
The Magnus Archives
Fresh Air