WORLD AT WAR: 12.23.23 - The Biden Administration

The Biden Administration, Palestinians and Inconvenient Truths- by Bassam Tawil - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20240/palestinians-inconvenient-truths As US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was in the Middle East last week trying to restrain Israel in its war against the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group and to "revamp"the Palestinian Authority (PA), a public opinion poll again illustrated how the Biden administration continues to intentionally ignore the reality of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The results of the poll also showed that, unlike the Bidenadministration, most Palestinians do not trust the PA and prefer Hamas's terrorism to a peaceful settlement with Israel. Sullivan was reportedly in the Middle East for two reasons: to pressure Israel to scale down its military operations against Hamas, and to discuss the possibility of havingthe Palestinian Authority govern the Gaza Strip the day after the current war ends. Both of these completely unrealistic and harmful objectives are a sign of how the Biden administration's policies are detached from reality, as well as promising the PA areward for having the same endgame as Hamas � destroying Israel � but just differing about how to do it. One can understand that the Biden Administration would like to tamp down hostilities before the US presidential election in November, but it needs be understood that thisis at the expense of more Israeli soldiers losing their lives and more Palestinians potentially being made to suffer under a Palestinian Authority leadership they say they hate. Close to 90% said they wanted PA President Mahmoud Abbas to resign. The US insteadshould offer the Palestinian people the opportunity for a better life with greater freedom and opportunities for economic growth. The demand that Israel switch to low-intensity fighting against Hamas means a lifeline for the terrorist group. Hamas is already under immense pressure as a result of themassive Israeli military operation inside the Gaza Strip. Sullivan's demand comes at a time when hundreds of thousands of Israeli soldiers are risking their lives. More than 425 have been killed on or since October 7, and 1,595 wounded, 255 seriously, in thefight against Iran's Palestinian proxy in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has lost many of its terrorists, bases, and tunnels since the beginning of the war. Its top commanders remain in hiding and a growing number of Palestinians are beginningto publicly voice discontent with Hamas, holding it responsible for the destruction of the Gaza Strip and the displacement of tens of thousands of families. Forcing Israel to reduce its anti-terror military activities is exactly what Hamas wants. Hamas would be delighted to see fewer Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles in theGaza Strip. It would also be happy to see fewer Israeli airstrikes on Hamas installations there. Easing the pressure on Hamas will unfortunately just prolong the war: Israel will need more time to crush the terrorist group. Moving from high-intensity to low-intensity fighting will allow Hamas terrorists to regroup and rearm in a more comfortable manner as they know there are fewer Israeli soldiersaround. Hamas leaders are now calling for a ceasefire or a temporary pause in the fighting in the hope that this will help them restore their military capabilities and improve theirfighting tactics against the Israeli army. The Hamas leaders are still counting on international pressure on Israel to stop the fighting and save the terrorist group from being removed from power. They are currentlyin talks with the Qataris to rejoin the Palestinian Authority. As Hamas doubtless sees events, the Biden administration is coming to the rescue. If the PA has not changed over the past three decades since its establishment, there is no reason to believe it will embark on any drastic changes to placate the Biden administration.The PA might say that it is ready to change, but this will be in order to deceive the Biden administration and the rest of the international community into continuing to pour billions of dollars on Abbas and his cohorts in the deranged hope that they willcombat terrorism in the Gaza Strip. The Biden administration's starry-eyed effort to "revitalize" or "revamp" the Palestinian Authority in the hope it will be able to rule the Gaza Strip once Hamas is removedfrom power, or in a coalition with the leaders of Hamas, is simply not realistic. Being a peaceful neighbor to Israel is, bluntly, not on the table. Despite whatever commitments might be signed in blood, in the eyes of Palestinian leaders, they are just Westernfantasies. After the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and 1995 , then PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat assured his people -- in Arabic -- that Oslo was no more binding than the Treaty of Al-Hudaibiyya, when the Islamic prophet Mohammad agreed not to attack forten years, then, with his opponents safely neutralized, he assembled an army and attacked after two years. As far as most Palestinians are concerned, the talk about "revamping" the Palestinian Authority is just another bad joke, written by infidel Westerners under infidel internationallaws that do not apply to them. In Islamic law, to deceive an enemy, taqiyya, dissimulation, is not only permitted but advised: Famous Sunni scholar, 'Allamah Wahidu 'z-zaman Khan of Hyderabad (India) says: "Taqiyyah is proved from the Qur'an, "except when you have to guard against them"; and ignorantpeople think that taqiyyah is something peculiar to the Shi'as, while it is allowed in the Sunni faith also at times." As Sullivan was meeting with 88-year-old Abbas to discuss the possibility of handing the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinian Authority, a public opinion poll published by thePalestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) showed that a vast majority the Palestinians support Hamas and have no confidence in their president and his leadership. How ironic that the PA and its leaders appear to be more popular among White Houseofficials than their own people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The findings of the poll reveal that support for Hamas has more than tripled in the West Bank compared to three months ago. In the Gaza Strip, support for Hamas increased,but not significantly. Meanwhile, support for Abbas and his ruling Fatah faction has dropped significantly. The same is true for trust in the Palestinian Authority as a whole, as demand for itsdissolution has risen to nearly 60%, the highest percentage ever recorded in PSR polls. Demand for Abbas's resignation has increased to around 90%. According to the results of the poll, Palestinian support for "armed struggle" (terrorism) against Israel has increased by 10% compared to three months ago: a majority of63% are now in favor of "armed struggle". Another inconvenient truth for the Biden administration: According to the poll, most Palestinians justify Hamas's October 7 massacre, including murder, decapitation, rapeand burning people alive. These are the same people that the Biden administration wants to give a state next to Israel. Judging from the results of the poll, the future Palestinian state will be controlled by Iran-backed Islamists who will be dancing in thestreets each time a Jew is murdered in a terrorist attack. Asked about Hamas's reasons for invading Israel and commuting the atrocities, the overwhelming majority said it was a "response to settler attacks on Al-Aqsa mosque and onPalestinian citizens and for the release of prisoners from Israeli prisons," while only 14% thought it was an Iranian plot. Needless to say, there were no "settler attacks" on the mosque. This is another bogus accusation made by Abbas and other Palestiniansin response to Jews peacefully visiting the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, by agreement with the Palestinian Authority. Note that it is Abbas who has been describing these visits as violent incursions into the mosque while accusing Jews of "defiling with their filthy feet" the holy sites inJerusalem. This is the same Abbas that the Biden administration wants to bring back to the Gaza Strip. Asked what they thought of Hamas's decision to launch the attack on Israel, given its outcome so far, 72% of the Palestinians said it was a "correct" move as opposed to 22%who thought it was incorrect. Here is another inconvenient truth that the Biden administration may be unhappy to hear: almost two-thirds (64%) of the Palestinians are opposed to the participation of thePalestinian Authority in meetings with the US to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip after the war stops. Only 33% support PA participation in such meetings. When asked about their own preferences for the party that should be in control in the Gaza Strip after the war, 60% selected Hamas; 16% selected a national unity governmentwithout Abbas, and only 7% selected the PA with Abbas. If new presidential elections were held today with only two candidates, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would receive 78% of the vote as opposed to 16% for Abbas. When asked which political party or political trend they support, the largest percentage selected Hamas (43%), followed by Fatah (17%), while 12% selected other or third-partygroups, and 28% said none of them or did not know. Three months ago, support for Hamas stood at 22% and Fatah at 26%. The poll also showed that 54% of Palestinians think that Hamas is the most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people today, while 13% think that Fatah underthe leadership of Abbas is more deserving; 26% think that both are unworthy of representation and leadership. Three months ago, 27% said Hamas is the most deserving, 24% said Fatah led by Abbas is the most deserving, and 44% said both are unworthy of representationand leadership. Incredibly, the Biden administration refuses to see what most Palestinians have made irrefutably clear what they want: the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews. It is enough for Biden administration officials to look at the results of the PSR poll and talk to ordinary Palestinians to understand that the White House's policies, suchas promoting the creation of an Iran-sponsored Palestinian terror state, are not wanted by anyone but Iran and them. ----------------------- Who Owns the Golan Heights? - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/12/16/who-owns-the-golan-heights-by-daymond-duck/ In 1967, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan attacked Israel in what is called the 1967 War. Israel captured the Golan Heights in 1967 and annexed them in 1981; Jews are living there today, and they are growing crops on them. On Mar. 25, 2019, Pres. Trump recognized the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory. In June of 2019, to honor Pres. Trump for recognizing the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory, Israel announced plans to build a community on the mountains and nameit Trump Heights. One year later, Israel budgeted the equivalent of about $2.3 million to build infrastructure and homes at Trump Heights. Many nations (Syria, Russia, Turkey, Iran, and others) refused to recognize that the Golan Heights are part of Israel. Their objection will probably play a role in the destruction of Damascus in one night (Isaiah 17) and the defeat of Russia, Turkey, Iran, and others in the Battle of Gog andMagog in the latter days and latter years (Ezek. 38-39). The Bible says the nations around Israel will claim the mountains of Israel, slander Israel, and make God angry at the end of the age (Ezek. 36:4-12). God added that He will be on Israel’s side; Israel will possess the mountains and grow crops on them. On Nov. 27, 2023, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling upon Israel to withdraw from the Syrian Golan Heights. The problem that the UN, Syria, and all the others have is that God said the mountains are His (not Syria’s), and He will give them to Israel at the end of the age. The world cannot liberate them because God has already liberated them and given them to Israel. Who owns the Golan Heights? The issue has been settled in heaven, and Israel’s enemies would be wise to accept what the Bible says. Here are some recent reports that seem to relate to Bible prophecy. One, concerning world government, a digital ID, and tracking everyone:on Dec. 6, 2023, Worthy Brief reported: •That the UN and some of its wealthy contributors hope to have everyone on earth in a digital ID system by 2030. •That Australia hopes to start enrolling its 26 million citizens in a digital ID system by the middle of 2024. •That Switzerland officials have approved a digital ID bill that they want to put into place in 2026. •That digital ID plans are progressing in many other nations. Two, concerning pestilence at the end of the age and a populationreduction: on Dec. 2, 2023, it was reported that a New Zealand government whistleblower has produced evidence that shows that more than 20% of New Zealand’s citizens have died since receiving Covid mRNA vaccinations. Three, at some point following the Rapture, the Antichrist willconfirm (strengthen) a peace treaty with many for seven years of peace in the Middle East (Dan. 9:27). When the Antichrist confirms (strengthens) that covenant, world leaders will declare “peace and safety” (some translations say “peace and security”), and then sudden destruction(the Tribulation Period will come (I Thess. 5:1-3). “Peace and safety” and “peace and security” are the same thing. Many world leaders and prophecy teachers know that the Iranians and Palestinians have tried to thwart a peace treaty, and the Arabs have refused to negotiate a peace treatyuntil Israel meets the demands of the Palestinians. Anyway, on Dec. 6, 2023, UN Sec. Gen. Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which allows him to ask the UN Security Council to restore the ceasefire between Israeland Hamas because the war is threatening “peace and security” on earth. The UN Security Council met on Dec. 8, 2023, to discuss Mr. Guterres’ request, and the U.S. vetoed it. (My opinion:A demand from the UN Security Council might bring a declaration of “peace and security” at some point in the future, but if it does, it will not produce peace and security on earth.) Four, concerning a covenant of peace in the Middle East: on Dec.8, 2023, officials from Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia went to Washington to try to get the U.S. to push a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. While there, they urged the U.S. and the international community to accelerate the two-state solution (a peace treaty to divide Israel and give East Jerusalem and the TempleMount to the Palestinians) in the Middle East. They want a peace treaty or an agreement to sign a peace treaty in one year. Incidentally, it may or may not be significant, but most of these nations are mentioned in Psalm 83. (My opinion:Israel is no longer seeking a peace treaty with the Palestinians. Israel is looking to establish a security zone in Gaza and to influence who governs Palestine.) Five, concerning perilous times and wars and rumors of wars atthe end of the age: on Dec. 10, 2023: •Israel and Hamas are fighting in Gaza. •Israel is striking Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria almost daily. •Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen are constantly attacking ships in the Red Sea. •Hezbollah is firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon almost daily. •Iranian-backed terrorists have attacked U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq 92 times since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023. •Turkey and Iran have said they will not let Israel defeat Hamas. •Russia and Ukraine are fighting. •China is threatening Taiwan. (More:On Dec. 12, 2023, Netanyahu said the PA is helping Hamas attack Jews in the West Bank of Israel, so Israel is now preparing for the possibility of war with the PA. If PA troops want to fight on the side of Hamas, Israel may go after the PA troops.) (More:On Dec. 12, 2023, Israel told the U.S. that Hezbollah has stepped up its unprovoked attacks on Israel from Lebanon, so Israel has no choice but to step up its attacks on Hezbollah.) (My opinion:It seems like the world needs a man with a plan, but according to the Bible, he will go forth conquering and to conquer, and things will get a lot worse.) Here are some daily updates on Israel’s war with Hamas. Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 (Day 61): The sixth day of the resumed war. •Israeli troops have the home of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar surrounded, but he appears to be trying to hide himself. •Netanyahu said history has shown that UN forces do not demilitarize areas that are hostile to Israel, and the only force that will demilitarize an area that opposes Israelis the Israeli military. •Israeli forces have broken through the defenses of Shejaiya, Jbalia, and Khan Younis; Israel is destroying tunnels; Hamas is coming out to fight; and Israel is eliminatingthem. •Israel’s Defense Min. told Israelis who have evacuated their homes along Israel’s border with Lebanon that they will be allowed to return home “after Hezbollah forces areremoved to the north of the Litani River, either through diplomatic means according to UN resolution 1701, or by force.” In my words, if the UN does not demilitarize the area according to resolution 1701, there will be another war, and Israel will do it. Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 (Day 62): The seventh day of the resumed war. •Fatah, the political party of PA Pres. Abbas (who is 88 yrs. old) is weak, divided, and unpopular with most Palestinians. •Israel has captured an abundance of detailed information on Hamas (their battle plans; the location of Hamas facilities and tunnels; tons of cell phones, pictures, and videos;maps and computers, etc.) that is being sent to Israeli troops on the battlefield and resulting in a lot of Hamas losses. •When a Hezbollah anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon killed an Israeli citizen, Netanyahu said, “If Hezbollah makes a mistake, it will turn Beirut and South Lebanon intoGaza and Khan Younis.” •Israel has completed the installation of five pumps, each one capable of pumping thousands of cubic meters of water per hour, from the Mediterranean Sea into tunnels in northernGaza. •Hamas is stealing fuel and humanitarian aid that Israel allowed into Gaza to help the Palestinians. Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 (Day 63): The eighth day of the resumed war. •Dozens of Hamas fighters have surrendered to Israeli troops. •Officials from Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia went to Washington to try to get the U.S. to push a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. •Israel tried to rescue some hostages, but two Israeli soldiers were killed, several were injured, one of the hostages was killed, and the attempt was called off. Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023 (Day 64): The ninth day of the resumed war. •Hamas troops fired on Israeli troops from inside a mosque and a UN-run school. •Russia said it will be a blatant war crime if Israel pumps seawater into the tunnels. •Israeli intelligence reported that there is a widespread feeling among captured Hamas troops that the Hamas leadership underground does not care about the public in Gazawho are above ground. •In response to the U.S. veto of a UN resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas war, Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan said the UN must be reformed. •Hezbollah fired several rockets from Lebanon into Israel from a position that was about 20 meters (65 feet) from a UN base. Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 (Day 65): The tenth day of the resumed war. •Hamas said no hostages will leave Gaza alive if their demands are not met (Hamas is still holding 137 hostages). •When one of the Hamas commanders was killed on Dec. 2, 2023, his deputy commander replaced him (he was killed on Dec. 10). •Netanyahu urged Hamas troops to surrender to Israel before they die with Yahya Sinwar. •Israel demanded that Russia cut ties with Iran because Iran sponsors most of the terrorist groups in the Middle East. Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 (Day 66): The eleventh day of the resumed war. •Israel intensified its attacks on Gaza. •Hamas fired more rockets into Israel, including at Tel Aviv (Israel targeted the source of these rockets). •Israel said its troops are closing in on full control of northern Gaza. •France, Germany, and Italy sent a letter to the EU urging the prompt implementation of special sanctions against Hamas and its supporters. Their letter claims that Hamasdoes not represent the Palestinian people or their aspirations. •Israel notified the U.S. that the international community must act against Lebanon to stop Hezbollah’s aggression against Israel. Otherwise, Israel is preparing for war withHezbollah. Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023 (Day 67): The twelfth day of the resumed war. •The U.S. asked the UN to condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. •The UN General Assembly was asked to approve a resolution calling for: 1) An immediate humanitarian ceasefire; 2) for all parties to comply with their obligations under internationallaw, including international humanitarian law, notably regarding the protection of civilians; and 3) for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access. •The UN General Assembly resolution passed, but the UN General Assembly vote is non-binding, so there is no guarantee that Israel or Hamas will abide by it. •Netanyahu said when the war is over, he will not allow anyone who teaches, supports, or finances terrorism to run the government of Gaza. •Israel has started pumping seawater into some of the tunnels in Gaza. •Terrorists in Gaza have fired more than 11,500 rockets into Israel since their Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 (Day 68): The thirteenth day of the resumed war. •A poll of Palestinians in Gaza found that 90% want PA president Mahmoud Abbas to resign. •Israel said its war with Hamas will continue with or without international support. FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born witha sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6). Finally, are you Rapture Ready? If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believethat Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this. ----------------------------------- Michele Bachmann Revisits Site of Hamas Atrocities Where She Lived Nearly 50 Years Ago � By Featured - https://harbingersdaily.com/michele-bachmann-revisits-site-of-hamas-atrocities-where-she-lived-nearly-50-years-ago/ Kibbutz Be�eri was one of the hardest-hit locations in the Hamas attacks near Gaza on October 7th. It also personally touched the life of Michele Bachmann, former congresswomanand current dean of the Regent University School of Government. She was once a resident of the kibbutz. CBN News accompanied Bachmann as she recently surveyed the site of horrendous massacres, kidnappings, and destruction, and we talked to those who survived the mayhem. As Hamas invaded Kibbutz Be�eri, Lotan Pinyah, a resident, watched the attack unfold when he visited the Kibbutz website and a WhatsApp group that October morning. �People started to say, to write, �There are terrorists inside the kibbutz,'� Pinyan related. He added, �And you start to see on the kibbutz map that they�re here, here, here,here, here � they�re spread all over the kibbutz.� A short time after, Pinyan learned terrorists slaughtered his mother and father-in-law, and he would see the death and destruction all over the neighborhood. �We have 90 murders,� he said, and within in the kibbutz, �289 houses are either burned or severely damaged.� All of this weighed on former Congresswoman Bachmann because she had lived here in 1974. �I came here the day after I graduated from high school,� she recalled. �Never been to Israel. It was my first time to come to Israel. And I lived and worked here at KibbutzBe�eri.� Bachmann told CBN News, �I remember it was a happy home where twelve hundred people lived. And people wouldn�t believe this (scene today). There�s whole roofs missing, andRPGs were fired through the sides of houses No one could ever live in these homes again. They�re completely totaled And so they�ll all have to come down, all have to be destroyed.� On this tour of Be�eri, she also learned that people she knew were among those raped and murdered. �Horrible. I just was devastated,� she said. She continued, �And it�s incredible to think that human beings would come and do this kind of damage just to get to Jews. The hatred for Jews is so vitriolic, they would evenburn a house down so they could watch a Jew jump out of a window so that they could shoot them. And the horror is that about 80 percent of the people who were killed here were tortured. So, this is as devastating as it gets.� Pinyan told us, �My children used to play and visit here each day.� �These are people�s homes,� Bachmann said in disbelief. �This isn�t supposed to be a battlefield. This is where little children rode bikes and went to see their grandparents.� According to Pinyan, �All of this neighborhood was full of children that were playing football in the afternoon, because all the grandmothers and grandfathers used to livein this neighborhood. No one (is) left. Only three people.� Bachmann noted, �It�s the bodies, it�s the people. The life that�s gone. And that�s irreplaceable.� Pinyan remarked that the younger generation is suffering as well. �All of our kids have friends that were either killed or kidnapped,� he said. Bachmann believes there should be no mercy for murderers who did this while promising to continue destroying such communities until there are no more Jews here � and in allof Israel � until Israel becomes Palestine. �Well, this is Israel�s land,� Bachmann responded. �And Israel has every right to the land � biblically, morally, legally, from international law � 100 percent this is Israel�sland. It�s no question. There�s not even a doubt. And so this fantasy that different terror groups have that they�re going to kill Jews �because for them, it really isn�t about land, it�s about killing Jews.. And so, that�s what we need to recognize. So whyshould Israel be forced to live side-by-side by clever assassins? Because this happens everyday.� �So, the Jewish people can no longer be expected to wonder if tomorrow is another Holocaust,� she stated. �Because that�s what this is. You�re looking at the Holocaust inour day � in our day. And we said �never again.� And it happened again. And so, the only answer is that Israel doesn�t have to be the people who suffer from these terrorist acts.� �Of any people group, they should not be the ones forced to live next to the people (now living in) Gaza,� Bachmann insisted. �There are 56 other Arab nations out there whocould take in the Gazans. Not one will take them. Why should Israel � the focus of their hatred �be forced to live side-by-side? It needs to end.� ------------------------------------- The Real Reason So Many American University Students Hate Israel- by Robert Spencer - https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-real-reason-so-many-american-university-students-hate-israel/ It�s simple, really. Why do so many college and university students hate Israel? Because they know nothing about it, and have bought into the propaganda they�ve been fed. In the midst of the recent and nationwide demonstrators featuring students (and many others) denouncing Israel for its alleged crimes, Algemeiner reported that �students whocare strongly about the �Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories� do not have knowledge of basic facts surrounding the subject, and do not share similar concerns about other geopolitical conflicts.� This wholly unstartling bit of information was gleaned from a survey of 230 undergraduates at University of California, Berkeley. Ron Hassner, who has the unenviable positionof being Berkeley�s Helen Diller Family Chair in Israel Studies, conducted the survey, which began by presenting students with 18 issues and asking them to rate how interested they were in them. These issues, according to Hassner, included �US-Iran relations, the civil war in Yemen, drone warfare, etc., on a five point scale, ranging from �I�m not that interested� (1 point out of 5) to �I care deeply� (5 points out of 5).� The survey went on from there to ask the respondents a �series of open-ended questions �on history, geography, and current affairs.��F Forty-three percent of the students were most interested in Israel�s alleged �control of Palestinian territories,� while expressing much less interest in �other Middle Eastoccupations, such as the Kurdish struggle for independence, the occupation of Western Sahara, or the occupation of Northern Cyprus.� That�s understandable. These indoctrinated bots aren�t inundated daily with self-righteous leftist rubbish about the massive, outrageous, world-historical injustice of theoccupation of Western Sahara or Northern Cyprus. In all likelihood, they haven�t even heard of either one. Why is that likely? Because they know virtually nothing regarding the conflict about which they claim to care very deeply: �Eighty-four percent of those in the most passionatecohort could not name the decade when Israel captured the West Bank, while 75 percent could not locate the Palestinian territories in question on a map.� Moreover, a full twenty-five percent of these programmed and propagandized student �placed the PalestinianTerritories west of Lebanon, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.� Nor did just a few of them drive the Palestinians into the sea that they chant about wanting to fill with Israelis: �The class average for this blunder was 14%.� The survey data also showed that �students who expressed the most interest in the Palestinian issue were less informed than more moderate peers, who �are more likely to admitgaps in their knowledge and, as a result, are less likely to hold erroneous beliefs.�� Thus �like the rest of the class, only 25% of passionate students placed the Palestinian Territories, correctly, south of Lebanon. But students with more moderate levelsof enthusiasm provided the correct answer 28% of the time.� The anger of the students toward Israel correlated with their ignorance of it: �the most passionate students were also the least likely to leave questions unanswered and �themost likely to offer a wild guess,� marking them as the most overconfident respondents.� This pattern continually recurred �in all answers related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.� Hassner stated: �Only 16% of students who �care deeply� about the Palestinianissue provided the correct decade for the Six Day War and only 17% were able to guess that the population of Israel was somewhere between 8 and 12 million people. The others offered guesses ranging from as low as 100,000 persons to as high as 150 million persons.� Hassner himself professed not to know why ignorance and passion about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict correlated so strikingly: �While acknowledging that his survey couldnot answer why students were driven to profess strong opinions on issues they were not particularly knowledgeable about, Hassner posited that �it does indicate, strongly, that education and moderation go hand in hand.�� He added: �The questions that studentsanswered most accurately involved Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco, all countries for which they expressed moderate but not extreme interest. If misinformation is both a cause and a consequence of political passion, then good teaching is the antidote.� Yes. The students who are most passionate about hating Israel know the least about the conflict because they are suffering from a social contagion, not acting upon a reasonedconclusion. Those who actually study the issue, if they do so thoroughly and honestly, will come out supporting Israel. Our nation�s colleges and universities are doing their level best to prevent that outcome. The Left�s Long March Through the Institutions has been a resounding success. Most of our nation�s colleges and universities, including � indeed, especially � those who enjoyan outsize influence on American politics and culture, have long ago ceased to be centers of higher learning and have become centers of far-Left indoctrination. Marxist sloganeering and agitprop masquerades as genuine intellectual inquiry, and so it�s no wonderthat once American youth graduate from their once-renowned institutions, they happily take jobs in government or social media that involve stripping free speech and self-defense rights from Americans. They have been trained to be cogs in the machine. Theirhatred of Israel is just one aspect of that indoctrination. -----------------------------------