Israeli University Leaders Condemn Antisemitic Comments at Overseas Schools – News18

Heads of Israeli universities have sent a letter to colleagues around the world expressing deep concern over anti-Israel and antisemitic discourse at some universities following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and the war it triggered in the Gaza Strip.

The Association of University Heads in Israel criticised what it sees as the inadequate response of some academic leaders, according to The Associated Press. “It’s unsettling to note that many college campuses have become breeding grounds for anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiments, largely fueled by a naïve and biased understanding of the conflict,” the letter said.

“Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of academic freedom, but it should not be manipulated to legitimize hate speech or to justify violence,” it added. The letter follows tensions on campuses in the U.S. and Europe inflamed since the Hamas attack. A number of students and faculty have expressed support for the militant group and its attack and held large-scale rallies.

This comes as incidents of antisemitism, which have surged globally since the attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent war on the Islamist group launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Israel-Hamas War: Open Hatred of Jews Surges Globally, Be it US, China, Russia or Europe

At Harvard, a coalition of more than 30 student groups last month said Israel was “entirely responsible” for the Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 people. “The apartheid regime is the only one to blame. Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years,” the letter read.

Cornell University was on high alert Sunday night after a series of “horrendous, antisemitic” messages threatening the school’s Jewish community were posted earlier on a public forum. At the New York-based university, police were sent to guard the Center for Jewish Living over intimidating posts. The comments have raised fundamental questions regarding free speech and its limits.

“Just as it would be unthinkable for an academic institution to extend free speech protections to groups targeting other protected classes, so too should demonstrations that call for our destruction and glorify violence against Jews be explicitly prohibited and condemned,” the Israeli university heads said in their letter.