Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “Who do you support?” triggers storm on American university campuses
(AFP, Washington, 14th) Amidst the bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, angry and fierce debates have also erupted in several of the most prestigious universities in the United States. These universities are not only the cradle of training American leaders, but also sometimes the hotbed of radicalism.
At Harvard University, Stanford University and New York University (NYU), the debate that broke out on social media among students, professors and administrators quickly spread and caused a stir in political circles and the media. echo.
There have been at least a few cases where people have lost jobs or been threatened with violence because of their stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The incident began when the Islamist group Hamas raided Israel and Israel took harsh retaliation. A letter signed by pro-Palestinian students appeared on the campus of Harvard University in the United States, blaming Israel for the deep violence in the Middle East.
A coalition of 34 Harvard student societies said they “hold the Israeli regime fully responsible for all the violence it sees” after decades of Israeli occupation of Palestine.
The letter stated that the recent events “did not happen in a vacuum” and “for 75 years, Israeli violence has affected every aspect of Palestinian life.”
●The school was criticized for being “morally cowardly”
The signed letter drew a harsh response from Lawrence Summers, the former president of Harvard University and former U.S. Treasury Secretary. He not only criticized the students’ remarks, but also criticized the silence of Harvard’s leadership.
He wrote on social media
Massachusetts Democratic congressman Jake Auchincloss said on social media that he was “ashamed” of his alma mater, calling Harvard students’ comments “morally bankrupt” and accusing the university leadership of “moral cowardice.”
Harvard University President Claudine Gay and other high-level officials at the school did issue a statement stating that “they are heartbroken by the death and destruction caused by the Hamas group’s raids targeting Israeli citizens.” However, the statement avoided directly mentioning student signatures and related responses.
The outpouring of criticism prompted Gay to issue a second statement, saying: “Without question, I condemn the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas… Such inhumane behavior is abhorrent.”
Amid angry reactions from all parties, the list of student associations that participated in the petition was deleted, and the school subsequently posted a statement saying: “This is for the safety of students.”
Some club members have been subjected to “doxxing” and their personal information has been published online without their consent. A car driving near campus carried a display showing names and photos with a headline that read: “Harvard’s leading anti-Semite.”
●Uneasiness on campus
At New York University, law firm Winston & Strawn withdrew an earlier lawsuit after the president of the Student Bar Association declared that “Israel bears full responsibility for this great loss of life.” Job opportunities available to students.
On the West Coast, administrators at the prestigious Stanford University were criticized for refusing to condemn a pro-Palestinian banner hung by protesters.
Back in the eastern United States, students at Georgetown University in the Washington area wrote to the president, denouncing his “long silence on the suffering of Palestine.”
A Yale University professor called Israel a “brutal, genocidal settler state.” A petition was immediately launched calling for the professor’s dismissal, and soon received nearly 45,000 signatures.
Against this tense backdrop, students with different views on both sides expressed unease.
“We have a lot of Jewish students who feel threatened… something they’ve never experienced before,” Jillian Lederman, president of Brown University’s Israel Student Association, told CNN.
“It’s a very, very scary time to be a Palestinian … in a hostile environment,” a Palestinian student at Harvard who declined to be named told ABC News.
Harvard University announced this week that campus police are increasing patrols on campus.
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2023-10-15 08:35:01
