Israeli university presidents condemn violent, antisemitic campus protests in the US

• Published date: 26 April 2024
• Author: JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"We, the presidents of the research universities in Israel, express our deep concern over the recent surge of severe violence, antisemitism, and anti-Israel sentiment across numerous leading universities in the US. These disturbing events are often organized and supported by Palestinian groups, including those recognized as terrorist organizations

This troubling development has led to a climate where Israeli and Jewish students and faculty members feel compelled to hide their identities or avoid campuses altogether for fear of physical harm."

The professors acknowledged "the efforts of our counterparts at these institutions to address these issues. We understand the complexity and challenges involved in managing incited and hateful groups, recognizing that extreme situations may require measures beyond the conventional tools available to university administrations."

They added that while freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate are vital to the health of any democracy and are especially crucial in academic settings and that they continued to uphold the importance of these freedoms, particularly in these challenging times, "these freedoms do not include the right to engage in violence, make threats against communities, or call for the destruction of the State...