A recent report has revealed that some of President Biden's biggest Democratic donors are also funding anti-Israel protests on college campuses. Groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow have organized demonstrations, with support from donors including George Soros, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, David Rockefeller Jr., and the heirs to the Hyatt hotel empire, Susan and Nick Pritzker.
The Tides Foundation, bolstered by funds from Soros and the Gates Foundation, supports these groups, along with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which gave $300,000 to the Tides Foundation in 2022. National Students for Justice in Palestine, affiliated with around 200 independent chapters, has also been active in these protests, with the Westchester Peace Action Committee Foundation (WESPAC) as a fiscal sponsor.
President Biden, who had initially remained silent on the anti-Israel protests, finally addressed the issue, condemning antisemitism and violence against Jewish students. He emphasized that hate speech and violence of any kind, whether directed at Jewish, Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian Americans, have no place in America.
The protests on college campuses may complicate Biden's efforts to garner support from young voters leading up to the presidential election. The involvement of major Democratic donors in funding these protests has raised questions about the intersection of politics and activism.
Overall, the situation highlights the complex dynamics at play in the ongoing debate surrounding Israel and Palestine, as well as the challenges faced by policymakers in addressing issues of antisemitism and discrimination on college campuses. It remains to be seen how the Biden administration will navigate these tensions moving forward.