Prof. Lawless Questions Why College Students Are Not Protesting Trump’s Plan for Gaza

Prof. Lawless Questions Why College Students Are Not Protesting Trump’s Plan for Gaza

Professor Jennifer Lawless, chair of the political science department at the University of Virginia, is questioning why college students who protested the Israeli invasion of Gaza have been mute on President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would seize Gaza, displace the Palestinians, and repurpose the land into an upscale development.

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said this past week. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site. Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Level it out.”

"I don't know, and I can't think about ethnic cleansing in terms of a strategy, and that's what it is. I think he [Trump] overstepped. The fact that there was such pushback so quickly highlighted that he doesn't understand the way the world works. On that front, he doesn't understand that what he said flies in the face not only of democracy and democratic values but also of sovereignty in general," said Lawless on GoLocal LIVE.

"Given that Marco Rubio so quickly countered the administration's position on that and given that so many Republican Senators —  you know, started tying themselves in knots to try and figure out how they could sound like they still supported Trump but didn't support basically raising Gaza highlights that it was a big misstep,” said Lawless.

 

College Protestor’s Abandoned Vice President Harris

Lawless chided the decision of some voters to abandon Harris for Trump - young college voters and Arab voters in Michigan.

“You know, during the election, it was clear, if you think that the Biden-Harris Administration was too cozy with Israel, that's a legitimate position to hold, but you have to consider your alternative. You're not considering Harris relative to somebody who might be very pro-Palestinian. You're considering Harris relative to Trump, and so I don't understand what these voters were thinking,” she said.

Lawless also chided college protestors.

“The lack of outrage now is quite stunning to me. Where are the students on college campuses now? Where are all of the voters who were so upset about Biden and Harris in the aftermath of October 7th [when they strongly supported Israel]? Where are they now? I just think that they realize that there was a big mistake that was made, and they're kind of just going along now,” said Lawless.