Amid hostile academic environments, Israeli firms to safeguard US campuses

[moniss]

This is the headline from an article from the Israeli news site "YNETNEWS" which is part of the "Yediot Achronot" daily newspaper. There is no date on the byline but it credits Daniel Edelson, New York. It seems that nobody in charge at the various universities mentioned in the article contemplated whether it's a good idea to bring in firms headed by former Israeli intelligence people for example. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"In a public statement, Strategic Security Corp. described the campus climate as being overrun by "a surge of pro-Palestinian protesters infiltrated by seasoned propagandists who employ guerrilla warfare tactics of non-permissive asymmetrical resistance, actively opposing, inciting crowds, and sparking violence and chaos." The company assured that it would leverage its "capabilities and expertise to identify and monitor threats, deploy effectively, and maintain a robust, manned security force."

So they are going to identify? Apparently meaning evaluating professors, students, student organizations etc. because after all that's where a bulk of the accusations about people being "pro" etc. have been made and supposedly affected by the "seasoned propagandists". So on to the list with you if we think you might be a problem. Then they are going to "monitor"? I see so you're going to follow people around, snap pictures of them speaking to people etc. Maybe a little "eavesdropping" using some of that snazzy technology? If you're not doing this then the word "monitoring" becomes fairly meaningless if you don't know where people are and who they're talking to and what they're planning. Then "deploy effectively, and maintain a robust, manned security force."? Well I guess maybe the University Administration will now have to redo those recruitment brochures to include some pictures of this deployed force on campus and doing their thing "checking" on people. Maybe CUNY is down for "checkpoints" and razor wire. Doesn't seem tone deaf in the least. I'm sure America is perfectly content with farming out their J Edgar Hoover/FBI like activities to foreign quasi government security firms. Ahh the good old college years!! Why it's not becoming a guarded re-education camp at all where you don't say certain things if you don't want to be on the "list". Not at all. Everything is fine. Just fine and if you know what's good for you you won't disagree. Because if you're on the "list" then maybe that slot in grad school you wanted might just not be in your future. Be quiet now. Hush and do your lessons or else.

The Edelson article mentions that some have expressed concern:

"However, reliance on Israeli expertise has not gone without criticism. Protesters and student organizations argue that the presence of firms with Israeli security backgrounds exacerbates existing political tensions. At Concordia, for instance, outraged students claimed that hiring Israeli-linked security firms "adds fuel to the fire" and erodes trust within the academic community. They issued demands for the university to immediately terminate its contracts with these companies and divest from any direct or indirect financial ties to Israel. Concordia, however, defended its decision, stating that the hiring of these firms was purely motivated by the need to ensure campus safety in light of potentially escalating protests, insisting that it had no connection to Israel."

That last line is about as disingenuous as it gets. No connection? Really? Thousand of security firms to choose from and you chose this one that just so happens is deeply connected and it was all mere coincidence? Of course forgive me for seeing an obvious thing and saying it.

An exaggeration of how it will go? We thought that when J Edgar started rolling heavy in the early '50's. We know how this goes and how it morphs and is abused. Accountability for abuses you say? Come on man that joke is more stale than a week old dinner roll left in the sun. Ask the people who got blacklisted and their descendants about whether that supposed "accountability" was ever more than just a word.

So the Universities mentioned couldn't find any other firms to help them? Nobody else in the whole world? Really? So in a hot political environment with two clearly delineated views you bring in security forces based in the country of, linked to and run by former military and intelligence personnel for that government and you don't see that as tone deaf or one sided when you are the University Administration making the decision? You don't see the self created escalation you've made?

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjdnsdwvyl#autoplay

[C0RI0LANUS]

1. When did being anti-war or pro-Palestinian in the US become a crime? Thanks for posting.

[moniss]

2. Back in the '50's through the '70's

most universities had a "relationship" with the FBI and local police about activists, certain professors etc. We thought when we exposed the excesses of things like COINTELPRO that this stuff was over or kept under control. We were wrong.

[C0RI0LANUS]

4. Whenever a college student suspected someone was an informant or a cop, they called him a "narc."

[comradebillyboy]

3. Is assaulting or harassing Jewish students on US campuses

protected activity under the the first amendment? From the news coverage I read it would seem lots of folks seem to think it is. What should be done if universities are unwilling to protect their Jewish students and their Jewish faculty?

Perhaps the universities should make their campuses safe for all students and faculty.

[moniss]

5. That completely misses the subject. nt

[comradebillyboy]

6. I disagree.

[moniss]

7. The question and point of the OP is not

one of "do something or do nothing". Your original response clearly indicates you somehow feel someone is saying "do nothing" when that is not the case at all.

[Eko]

11. Yup, you totally missed the point.

[Beastly Boy]

8. When do you plan to address the hostile academic environment that prompted the need for

seasoned professionals to safeguard college campuses in the first place?

Apparently, college campuses all across the US and Canada are way ahead of you on addressing this, and a number of them contemplated the idea and decided that Israeli firms are best suited for the job. Others contemplated different different optopns, but none left the existence of hostile academic environments on their campuses unaddressed.

None of us have insight into these decisions or what is involved in safeguarding college campuses. Trying to invoke meaning on the basis of ignorance is a rabbit hole that, as we can all see, invites hysterically laughable speculations. Suffice it to say that security firms are usually hired for maintaining security, and that involves, first and foremost, accurate assessment of who are the victims, the perpetrators and the bystanders in any hostile environment. But your absence of concern for the victims and their need for being protected, as well as absence of concern for identifying professional anti-Israel agitators who "add fuel to the fire" of hostilities, is noted.

On a side note: so much for the demands by the "freedom fighters" to boycott Israeli businesses. File the outraged students' demands for the universities to immediately terminate its contracts with Israeli security firms in the same circular file cabinet.

[moniss]

9. You miss the point of the post in order to

go on about something else and to claim I don't care about the victims of harassment. Addressing harassment or not addressing it is not what the OP is about. You seem to wish to make it that but it clearly doesn't cover any of that. Why your retort might be? The OP was not about some comprehensive overall look at the problem of harassment and it is improper to expect that every post about every subject be exhaustive in examining every single possible aspect of a problem. The post was about a very specific thing. Usually people respond to those things but some people around the world want to read things in that aren't there or assign motives for things they wish to inject that aren't there. Sometimes that happens innocently and sometimes not but in any event it demonstrates a mindset that shows a reading approach that serves to confuse and frustrate such a reader because they are positive there is a windmill when in fact there isn't. But they wish to argue windmills just the same. I know this will elicit an endless stream of retort but I'm not going down the rabbit hole with you over something you want to go over that is not about the point in the OP. Have a nice day and I hope you keep progressing on your way to improvement.

[Beastly Boy]

10. The point of your post is not about addressing harrassment and its victims?

Really?

Then why does it go on forever about hypothetical victims of hypothetical harassment which hypothetically may result in conceivable hypothetical actions that you anticipate from the hired Israeli security companies?

That was very specific, and it was in your post.

If this is not the point of your post, what might it be? To avoid any mention of real hostile environment with real victims and real perpetrators that prompted the need for added security in the first place?

Well, that's exactly the point of MY post! It was not about any comprehensive overall look at the problem of harassment or to exhaustively examine every single possible aspect of a problem, a distraction which you unexplicably brought up out of all context.

So tell me, what exactly did I miss?

[Eko]

12. You missed the point on purpose.

No one here is against security for people on campus but you have an axe to grind so,,,