Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned student-led protests against Israel’s war in Gaza at U.S. colleges and universities as “unconscionable.” In a speech on Wednesday, Netanyahu argued that these protests have been accompanied by antisemitic rhetoric and violence, claiming that they are reminiscent of events that occurred in German universities in the 1930s. The allegations of antisemitism have been echoed by other officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Joe Biden. Netanyahu also criticized university presidents for their responses to the protests, calling their actions “shameful.” These accusations have led to calls for the resignation of several university presidents, including Columbia University President Nemat Shafik. Several specific allegations of antisemitic rhetoric have been made in recent protests: Officials at NYU reached out to city police for assistance, citing “intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents,” CNN reported, while CBS News reported “go back to Poland” chants were heard at Columbia, and several Jewish students at several universities have alleged they were threatened, with one Columbia student telling NBC they were sprayed with a “noxious chemical” and another student at Yale telling CBS she was assaulted by a protester. While hundreds of student protesters have been arrested over the past week at universities, including Columbia, Yale and the University of Texas at Austin, the vast majority of those protests have been nonviolent, including at Columbia, a recent hotbed for demonstrations critical of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza, where over 34,000 Palestinians have died since the war began in October, according to Hamas officials. Earlier this week FBI Director Christopher Wray told NBC News that the agency is coordinating with universities to “stay ahead” of threats of violence. Officials at Columbia, a recent hotbed for student protests, have come under fire from lawmakers and donors over their response to recent protests. Earlier this week, billionaire alumnus and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he would suspend his funding to his alma mater “until corrective action is taken”—billionaire Leon Cooperman also threatened to pull his funding from Columbia last October, while billionaire Henry Swieca left the board of the university’s Business School over “blatantly anti-Jewish student groups and professors.” This week, a group of lawmakers called on Shafik to resign , including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and all 10 House Republicans from New York. Netanyahu’s speech comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and the United States over the war in Gaza. The Biden administration has criticized Israel’s use of force against Palestinian civilians, and has called for a de-escalation of violence. Israel has defended its actions, arguing that it is necessary to defend itself against Hamas rocket attacks. The war in Gaza has also sparked protests and demonstrations around the world, including in the United States. These protests have been met with a range of responses from university administrations, from condemnation to support.
Netanyahu: Student-Led Protests Against Israel’s Gaza War Are ‘Unconscionable’
