Commenting on the anti-Israel protests at several universities in the US that continue to escalate, SMU Associate Professor of Political Science John Donaldson opined that US President Joe Biden is "powerless" in the campus protest incidents. Assoc Prof Donaldson explained, "On Israeli policy, Mr Biden faces pressure from both the left and right and cannot abandon support for Israel. He has faced pressure from moderates and others for criticising (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu, but he cannot control Netanyahu, so he is powerless." He pointed out that a major controversy currently revolves around whether student protests should be deemed as anti-Semitic, and it is quite challenging for the universities to strike a balance between defending freedom of speech and curbing hate speech. In addition, Mr Biden faces the dilemma of not wanting to lose voters while continuing to support Israel, making both balancing acts quite difficult.