–Temple University Professor also condemned–
LOS ANGELES– StandWithUs (SWU) has applauded the rejection of a discriminatory BDS resolution by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) at the Ohio State University (OSU) on December 5. The motion failed by a vote of 7 in favor, 30 against and 3 abstentions.
“It is disturbing that the International Socialist Organization – an off campus group – was heavily involved in this campaign,” said Ron Krudo, Executive Director of Campus Affairs at StandWithUs. “The ISO has promoted ‘unconditional support’ for Hamas and denied that anti-Semitism is a problem in the British Labour Party. It’s encouraging that the student government rejected their hateful agenda.”
On December 6, a hateful divestment resolution against Israel by the Student Government Assembly (SGA) passed at New York University (NYU) with a vote of 35 in favor, 14 against and 14 abstentions.
“It is deeply disappointing that SGA passed a resolution that is so one-sided and discriminatory,” said Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs. “BDS only serves to fuel the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and deepen divisions between students on campus.”
SGA’s lack of transparency and representation of NYU students was a key factor in the vote. Students reported that many senators are unelected and refused to meet and hear the concerns of their constituents. This lack of accountability enabled a campaign of hate to succeed in SGA.
The BDS resolution was preceded by a discriminatory campaign promoting violations of Israeli academic freedom and the isolation of NYU student groups. This included a protest in which anti-Israel activists assaulted a Jewish student and burned an Israeli flag during a celebration of Israel near the NYU campus.
StandWithUs applauds OSU Hillel and OSU Buckeyes for Israel for their dedication and courage in standing up for their community on campus. It also commends NYU Hillel, TorchPAC, and Realize Israel for standing up in the face of adversity, calling out bigotry, and demanding accountability from their student government.
In another action, StandWithUs has sent a letter to Temple University President Richard Englert, urging him to directly condemn Professor Marc Lamont Hill’s extremist rhetoric about Israel.
In the letter, StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein wrote that, “while free speech and academic freedom are paramount on campus, so is the responsibility of university leaders to use their first amendment rights to condemn hate.” Citing Professor Hill’s disturbing record, she called President Englert to, “explicitly condemn his comments and take action to ensure a safe learning environment for Jewish and Israeli students at Temple University.”
On November 28, 2018 at the United Nations, Professor Hill called for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea,” and urged the audience not to criticize Palestinians who engage in violence against Israelis. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is a call for eliminating Israel and stripping away Jewish rights to self-determination. It has been used as a rallying cry by Hamas and other terrorist organizations for decades. Even more disturbing is Professor Hill’s attempt to defend and apologize for Palestinian terrorism, mere weeks after Hamas launched nearly 400 rockets at innocent families in southern Israel. After Hill apologized for his remarks, he was exposed for another recent speech which included the slur that Israelis poison Palestinian water and praise for Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled.
Unfortunately, this is not Professor Hill’s first run in with anti-Semitism. He is a longtime supporter of noted anti-Semite and homophobe Louis Farrakhan, as well as a convicted terrorist Rasmeah Odeh. In an op-ed defending Odeh, Hill calls her a “freedom fighter” and denies her role in the murder of two American students in Israel, despite the fact that Odeh’s own relative is on film confirming her involvement. He also boosted a fundraiser for terrorist Ali Jiddah, who planted a bomb near a Jerusalem hospital that injured nine Israelis.
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Preceding provided by StandWithUs.