Karl Saad, a university student, has gotten himself into trouble with supporters of Israel after a video of him taking down some posters went viral. We will discuss every aspect of that story in this write-up.
Who is Karl Saad?
Karl Saad is a Pace University student who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, and further reports indicate he is studying in a C-STEP program that helps one hone their knack for research and also gain expertise in gel electrophoresis.
At the moment, it is not even Karl Saad’s educational background that got many talking about him; it was a controversial video of him ripping down posters of kidnapped Israelis that sparked outrage among many in the media, so let’s move straight to knowing how that exactly happened.
What did Karl Saad do?
On November 6, an X account identified as Stop Antisemitism shared a video of a man aggressively taking down posters from a New York City pole. The video was captioned “NYC (5th and 60th)—a man is filmed ripping down posters of kidnapped Israeli children, stating it’s false information. The anger this man holds is frightening.”
Later, the same account shared an update on the video and revealed that the man behind the act had been identified as Karl Saad.
Karl Saad later took to his official X profile under the username @Karl032306 to defend himself in the comments section of the video being shared on X by various accounts.
In a post, he wrote, ““Oh and before you say anything about “KHAMAS” IDF has committed WAR CRIMES and GENOCIDE. It is the NAZI of the Middle East. Nazis are on the wrong side of history, AND SO IS THE IDF. Why is it that when the cops came all of you ran, I hope Tel Aviv crumbles and becomes ASH.”
IDENTIFIED: KARL SAAD. Pace University junior and Hamas apologist known for tearing down posters of kidnapped Jewish babies and multiple other harassment incidents. Shame he’s unemployable now. pic.twitter.com/1lJKWwKOTN
— Kfir Gavrieli (@KfirGavrieli) November 10, 2023
Israel and Hamas War: How Did It Start?
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian militant groups, mainly Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, along with other groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, launched a major attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip with a rocket barrage and vehicle-transported attacks across the border on Israeli communities.
Following the Hamas attack on Israel, the protest group identified as Kaplan Force had cancelled its planned protest against the Israeli judicial reform scheduled for October 7, instead extending support to the IDF amidst the crisis. Other protest groups, like Forum 555 and Brothers in Arms, also urged reservists to serve if called up.
Some construction sites in Jerusalem prohibited Israeli Arabs from entering, including senior managers, stating that only Jews and foreign workers were permitted.
The conflict actually originated with the election of the Islamist political party Hamas in 2005 and 2006 in the Gaza Strip and escalated with the split of the Palestinian Authority Palestinian government into the Fatah government in the West Bank and the Hamas government in Gaza and the violent ousting of Fatah after Fatah lost the election to Hamas.
Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, and the joint Egyptian-Israeli blockade of Gaza have exacerbated the conflict. The international community considers attacks on civilians and civilian structures that do not discriminate between civilians and military targets illegal under international law.
Also, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Israel remains an occupying power under international law.
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