Kamala Harris' silence vs Sarah Silverman's noise - comment

• Published date: 03 October 2021
• Author: HERB KEINON
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

And therein lays the problem with Vice President Kamala Harris's appearance on Wednesday in front of a political science class at Virginia's George Mason University when she didn't object to a student who slandered Israel by accusing it of ethnic genocide and displacement of people.

"You brought up how the power of the people and demonstrations and organizing is very valuable in America, but I see that over the summer there have been protests and demonstrations in astronomical numbers standing with Palestine," said the student, who identified herself as Yemini and Iranian.

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"But then just a few days ago there were funds allocated to continue backing Israel, which hurts my heart because it's ethnic genocide and displacement of people, the same that happened in America, and I'm sure you're aware of this."

Harris's response to the student was not to tell her she had her facts dead wrong, was maliciously libeling Israel, or somehow had become confused, but rather to wax on about how her truth must be heard.

Harris said she was glad the student spoke up, saying, "your voice, your perspective, your experience, your truth should not be suppressed."

"The point that you are making about policy that relates to Middle East policy, foreign policy, we still have healthy debates in our country about what is the right path, and nobody's voice should be suppressed on that," she continued.

Wrong.

Not every "truth" should be heard or legitimized by the vice president of the United States. Not everyone is entitled to turn lies into their own truths. Not everything is a narrative. Some views should be suppressed, such as the one about Israel committing ethnic genocide. Why? Because it is a lie. There are facts. And one fact is that Israel is not committing ethnic genocide. Period.

How can one prove that fact to those who will only think the worst about Israel? Simple: by looking at the numbers.

Before the Six Day War in 1967 when Israel won control of Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, there were some 955,000 Palestinians in those areas; today that number stands at about five million. Say what you will about Israel's policies in the territories over the last 54 years, but those numbers do not add up to genocide.

The fallout from Harris's appearance followed a predictable pattern. The Israeli press jumped on the story while, except for...