Ronald Scheinberg on Higher Education and Hamas

I have been continuously reflecting on the opprobrium being visited on Israel by the ivory-tower “intelligentsia” in their response to Israel’s response to the Hamas brutality of October 7. I am wondering whether their simply wrong-headed approach is their inability to fathom a mind-set by a party (Hamas) that is not based on rational foundations. In the ivory tower of the university, pride is taken on discourse based on logic and rational foundations. Disputes between parties are based on articulated grievances that are subject to discussion. In the present case, Hamas’ position is not based on any particular (or set of) grievances. Rather, their position is based on their need to destroy Israel — full stop. I would suggest that the ivory tower is trying to see things from a Hamas perspective that simply does not exist. “Occupation by Israel of the West Bank,” for example, would seem to be a viable grievance — and one which is articulated by the ivory tower set. Yet, Hamas does not care about the “Occupation.” They simply want to destroy the Jews. Until the ivory tower comes to terms with this, they will continue peddling their inapt positions, making it impossible for them to see what is really happening.