Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday addressed a delegation of Jewish American students visiting Israel, emphasizing the importance of combating slander against the Jewish people and the Jewish state. "The most important thing is you have to fight," he said. "And how do you fight lies? With the truth."
Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with the delegation, which was in Israel through an initiative by Olami, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. The prime minister expressed gratitude for the students' support of Israel and praised their efforts to combat antisemitism on U.S. campuses.
Netanyahu to Jewish American students: 'How do you fight lies? With the truth'
(Video: GPO)
"We certainly have the power to fight back against the antisemites that surround us," Netanyahu told the students. "For example, Iran and all its minions, we fight them all the time."
Netanyahu reiterated the significance of confronting falsehoods with truth. "A lie can circle the earth 1,000 times before a single word of truth gets through, but we have no other choice. You fight by exposing the lies," he said.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with a delegation of Jewish American students visiting Israel
(Photo: Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Talia Khan, a student at MIT, spoke about her personal experiences with antisemitism. "I'm the daughter of a Jewish American mother and an Afghan Muslim father, and I am the proud president of the MIT-Israel Alliance," she said. "I'm a Jewish student currently immersed in an extremely toxic environment of antisemitism at MIT."
Khan highlighted the importance of the State of Israel, especially in the shadow of the Holocaust. "As a woman of Afghan descent, I understand the importance of Western values and fighting the forces that are trying to set us back. And as a patriotic American, it's obvious that U.S. interests are best served by providing our best and loyal ally Israel with the tools it needs to continue being a beacon of light and democracy."
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with a delegation of Jewish American students visiting Israel
(Photo: Maayan Toaf/GPO)
She appealed to Netanyahu for support in their efforts. "We all in this room, and many others that couldn't make it on this trip, we're all ready to dedicate our lives to protecting democracy, Western values and Israel and America," Khan said.
The delegation included students from Columbia University, UCLA, MIT, and various universities in California, Arizona and Michigan.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with a delegation of Jewish American students visiting Israel
(Photo: Maayan Toaf/GPO)
Eli Gelb, a student at Columbia University, shared his sense of abandonment by the community at what has become one of the most contentious and explosive sites of campus unrest.
"Since October 7, all nuance to the conversation is lost. It's all or nothing - kill Jews or don't kill Jews," Gelb said.
"The broader community, their silence, their lack of action, when they're nowhere to be found, when it's open season against the Jews in this country and on my campus, they are not a part of anything that can relate to our situation. They have failed their Jewish students, their silence speaks volumes.
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Members of student delegation (L-R): Olami Executive Vice President David Markowitz, Talia Khan – MIT, Yasmeen Ohebsion - Tulane University, Eli Gelb – Columbia University
(Photo: Maayan Toaf/GPO)
"The community at large has demonized the State of Israel. You walk out at seven in the morning if you're on campus, you're brushing your teeth next to someone with a keffiyeh. It is all day long, it is insufferable. It is strangling around our necks. And if someone wants to step up, they can do so. It has been 7-8 months and nothing has been done."
Yasmeen Ohebsion, a student at Tulane University, expressed a similar sentiment. “The bottom line at this point is that not only do other student groups not show up for us, but most Jewish students don't show up,” she said.
"At Tulane University, there are about 2,500 Jewish students and I would say that on a good day, we have 100 to 150 show up. We need your allyship. We desperately need your help. We are outnumbered. We are being physically intimidated, and we are standing on the right side of history. We are marching and showing up for truth, for peace and for the immediate return of our hostages. So, please. Understand that this is your chance to be on the right side of history. We need you."