The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unfolding half a world away, yet virtually no other political issue inspires as much acrimony among U.S. college students. After the terrorist group Hamas killed approximately 1,200 Israeli civilians on October 7, Israeli forces responded by bombing the Gaza Strip, killing thousands of Palestinians. In response, American college campuses witnessed a surge of pro-Palestinian activism—as well as repeated efforts to silence the activists.
One need not agree with those students' slogans, their tactics, or their goals to recognize that provocative political speech is protected by the First Amendment. Republican political figures who have spent years railing against censorship and cancel culture would do well to remember that.
