What is driving the massive surge of antisemitism we have seen since last October's campaign of terror by Palestinian terror group Hamas and Israel's ensuing offensive in the Gaza Strip? At least part of the answer is Iran. On July 9, the U.S. intelligence community divulged that the Islamic Republic has been playing an active role in stoking the protests, encampments, and civil unrest that have roiled the U.S.
"In recent weeks, Iranian government actors have sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza, using a playbook we've seen other actors use over the years," the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported. "We have observed actors tied to Iran's government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters."
But Iran's involvement is just part of a much larger story. All of the available evidence suggests that today's "pro-Palestine" activism is an instrument of statecraft—one that is actively being weaponized against the U.S. by an array of hostile actors.
This can be seen in at least three distinct ways.
First, antisemitism and anti-Zionism are being harnessed to harm American interests abroad. In recent months, Iran has exploited regional discontent with Israel's war, and U.S. support for the Jewish state, to improve its own strategic position and erode America's. And, amplified by outlets such as Qatar's Al Jazeera network, regional anti-Israel and anti-American attitudes have contributed to a precipitous decline in approval for the United States among Mideast publics.
Radical groups have seized the moment as well. Since the autumn, Yemen's Houthi rebels have engaged in attacks on maritime commerce in the Red Sea that have significantly disrupted global trade. While this activity is ostensibly tied to the Gaza war, its real aim is nothing less than the erosion of America's regional position. That's why, earlier this month, the Iranian-backed militants released a video warning preemptively that they planned to target the next U.S. aircraft carrier that enters the area.
Second, these same forces are being used to drive wedges in America's Mideast alliances. Most clearly, this pertains to the U.S.-Israeli partnership itself, which has found itself under growing strain as a result of disagreements over the war in Gaza—in no small measure because of the domestic pressures being exerted on the Biden administration by its activist left-wing base.
But the hostilities touched off by Hamas' rampage are having a material effect on America's other regional relationships as well, as states respond to widespread domestic pro-Palestinian sentiment by carving out some distance from Washington. Recent surveys conducted by the Arab Barometer, a regional public opinion researcher, came to the same sobering conclusion: "Few Arab leaders now want to be seen openly cooperating with Washington, given the sharp rise in anti-American sentiment among the populations they rule."
Most significantly, antisemitism is being instrumentalized by radical activists and foreign actors to deepen cleavages in American society.
Back in May, the Network Contagion Research Institute, an information security firm, surveyed the operations and finances of just one group involved in the pro-Palestine campus protest movement. It found significant connections with a "global web of nonprofits, fiscal sponsors, and alternative news sources" bankrolled by multimillionaire far-left activist Neville Roy Singham. Singham, in turn, has been identified as being a "known conduit for CCP [Chinese Communist Party] influence."
The objective, the report concluded, is to do far more than simply oppose Israel's new war: "While nominally focused on Israel, the current protests can be better understood as a well-funded initiative driving a revolutionary, anti-government, and anti-capitalist agenda, with the leading organizations serving as versatile tools for foreign entities hostile to the U.S. The methods of these organizations exacerbate societal tensions, polarize the younger generation, and appear to seek the destabilization of American institutions."
Our elected officials haven't done much of substance in response. Wary of the potential political fallout, authorities in places like Washington, D.C., and New York City have mostly failed to hold protesters to account, even when their conduct violates local ordinances or even federal law. Nor has the White House put universities like Columbia and UCLA on notice that their eligibility for future governmental funding is contingent on restoring order and ensuring equal access for all students, regardless of politics or religion.
This amounts to a costly mistake. There's an old saying which over the years has proven sadly prophetic: "Whatever starts with the Jews never ends with them." So it is today. The rampant antisemitism visible on elite university campuses, on social media, and on the streets of major cities is a clear and present danger to our social cohesion and our standing in the world. That makes it a national security threat which needs to be addressed without delay.
Ilan Berman is senior vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, D.C.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
