Once again, Americans were shocked last week when a mad man callously and almost casually gunned down two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington. That senseless slaughter made Americans shudder in disbelief and disgust wondering how can this happen in America? Tragically, vicious violence against Jews has become too common in our open society. Bigotry and persecution of Jews has sadly been a constant theme throughout history, but Americans reject the mistreatment of any minority and are particularly committed to protecting God’s chosen people.

In the aftermath of WWII, Americans were stunned to learn the unspeakable atrocities perpetrated by NAZI Germany against Jews in Europe. Some six million Jews were tortured and massacred under the most horrific conditions in NAZI concentration camps. The world got a glimpse of evil laid bare. Led by the United States, the world vowed to never again allow such brutality against any people. The nation of Israel was created in 1948 and western democratic nations pledged to support the fledgling country.

For decades thereafter, antisemitism was condemned and shunned by civilized countries. The promise of “never again” seemed to hold and remain embraced, unless and until eternal vigilance waned. On two fronts, we allowed antisemitism to return. We allowed antisemitism to creep into academia and thrive in Islamic-fascist nations.

The pro-Hamas protests on college campuses across the country are more than troublesome; they threaten civil society and global peace. Under the guise of free speech, elite universities allow unfettered vandalism and violence against Jews. They foster and practically endorse antisemitism with their tepid responses. These dimwitted and misguided students infiltrated by radical Islamic agitators and anarchists blatantly advocate for the death of Israel and annihilation of Jews. It’s simply unbelievable and unconscionable that our ostensibly best universities turn a blind eye to virulent antisemitism.

The cold-blooded murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim is sadly not an isolated incident. Eleven Jews were murdered at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, Jewish Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shaprio’s residence was firebombed just a month ago, and a German-American traveled to Tel Aviv this month to attack the US Embassy but was thankfully thwarted.

Radicalized Americans are brazenly attacking Jews while being cheered on by American university students. These students are literally aligning with the enemies of America; the culpability of elite universities who indoctrinated them to hate America is undeniable. Massachusetts Democrat Congressman Jake Auchincloss recognizes there is a “direct line” from this revived antisemitism in academia to the resurgent violence against Jews.

President Trump is right to demand accountability from Columbia, Harvard, and other elite universities. Imagine if these students demanded racial segregation and the slaughter of non-compliant black Americans. The backlash would be rightly swift. Why not the same consideration for Jews? Free speech should be allowed, but once militants reveal their nefarious intentions, they should suffer the consequences and be promptly shunned if not imprisoned. It’s past time to halt the incitement of violence against Jews. The irresponsible universities should be defunded and extremist students prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

While America’s enemies steal our youth, we have let those enemies run amok. Despite Hamas’ commitment to destroy Israel, we have propped them up rather than starve them out. Worse, the Biden Administration took our foot off the neck of Iran. The Obama Administration set up Iran to obtain nuclear weapons with the ridiculous Iranian nuclear deal, but Biden removed Trump’s sanctions essentially allowing Iran to access some $200 billion to complete their nuclear weapons program. They are days or weeks away from making nuclear bombs.

There has been too much nuclear proliferation, but the problem with Iran is that it’s inescapable that once Iran gets a nuclear bomb, they will use it to attack Israel and that will likely ignite WWIII. Already unstable, the Middle East will not survive it, the United States should not tolerate it, and Israel will not allow it. Israel cannot allow it because even a partially successful nuclear attack on Israel would devastate the tiny nation.

Giving Iran an undeserved chance, Trump is working for a diplomatic resolution with Iran to end their nuclear weapons program, but Iran is stubbornly resisting. Expectations are low, but no one should be fooled – Iran must be stopped. The United States should sooner rather than later impose bone crushing economic sanctions on Iran and facilitate regime change. The extremist Islamic fascist regime must be ended. The United States should aggressively lead that effort or watch Israel do it. China and Russia will oppose either, but the rest of the Middle East will support whoever brings Iran to heel.

This is a very dangerous game with Iran and no solutions are easy, but at a minimum the United States should purge the enemies at home. It is embarrassing and preposterous that we allow domestic enemies to collude with foreign enemies. We prosecuted the Klu Klux Klan for spewing hate and advocating violence. The rabid Hamas supporters are no different.

These homegrown extremists cultivated by foreign bad actors incite violence and even physically and mentally intimidate Jews. America should not allow our free speech to be egregiously abused. Again, they can say what they want, but they are not immune from suffering the consequences of their actions and words. Stopping such manipulation will preserve free speech.

It’s past time to end this abominable nonsense. Deport and prosecute as necessary. Never again!

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19).

Pete Riehm is a Navy Veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.