Acclaimed novelist Salman Rushdie warned that if there were to be a Palestinian state in the Middle East, it would mirror what the Taliban is doing in Afghanistan, would be ruled by Hamas terrorists, and be a satellite state for Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.
"I have been in favor of a separate Palestinian state most of my life," the award-winning Indian-British novelist said Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing an interview he gave with the German rbb24 TV channel. "But if there were a Palestinian state now, it would be run by Hamas, and we would have a Taliban-like state. A satellite state of Iran. Is this what the progressive movements of the Western Left want to create?"
Rushdie, 76, teaches at New York University, which has been among the many colleges nationwide whose campuses have been roiled by anti-Israel student protesters against Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip following Iranian-backed Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
He said he supports the rights of students to protests but added it can't be at the expense of Jewish students feeling unsafe on campus.
"It's very difficult to balance that," said Rushdie, who has survived two assassination attempts following a fatwa ordering his execution issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 after the release of his book "The Satanic Verses," which many Muslims contend disrespected the Prophet Muhammad.
In the second attempt, a stabbing in January 2022 in Chautauqua, New York, Rushdie lost sight in his right eye and it affected the use of a hand. The trial of his attacker Hadi Matar, 26, is scheduled to start sometime this year.
"Different university administrations have dealt with this differently, some better, some worse," he said. "Letting armed police attack students isn't a good idea, I think, but on the other hand, occupying and damaging college buildings isn't a good idea either.
"The fact is that any normal person can only be shocked by what is happening in Gaza, by the extent of the innocent deaths. But I think the demonstrators could also mention Hamas because it all started with them, and Hamas is a terrorist organization. And it's strange that a young progressive student politician supports a fascist terrorist group, because that's what they do in a way. They demand 'free Palestine,' 'liberate Palestine.'"
Rushdie said the calls for a Palestinian state now are an emotional reaction to the Gazan casualties from Israel's war against Hamas.
"That's OK. But when it slides into antisemitism and sometimes even support for Hamas, then it becomes problematic," he said.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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