Last week, the George Washington University School of Medicine hosted a panel of professors who declared that Hamas terrorists have a “right of resistance” against Israel, according to video footage obtained exclusively by The Post.
The December 4 debate was titled “Understanding the Conflict in Israel and Palestine” and was sponsored by the Anti-Racism Coalition of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Institute of Middle East Studies.
The panelists referred to the Jewish State’s military operation in the Gaza Strip as “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide,” without discussing the atrocities Hamas committed in its October 7 attack on southern Israel, its designation as an organization foreign terrorist or is still holding more than 100 Israeli and American civilians hostage.
“Israel can rightly claim self-defense, but I also want to point out here that Hamas and the Palestinians also have the right to resist,” Michael Barnett, a professor of international affairs and political science, said during the panel.
“All of us have been shaken by the events of October 7,” added Shira Robinson, professor of history and international affairs. “But we all recognize that those events have a history.”
The George Washington University School of Medicine hosted a panel of faculty last Monday that declared that Hamas terrorists have a “right of resistance” against Israel. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The panelists did not describe the atrocities Hamas committed on October 7, its designation as a foreign terrorist organization or that it is still holding more than 100 Israeli and American civilians hostage. fake images
The Hamas attack ended a ceasefire reached after a May 2021 conflict in which Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel over an 11-day period before peace was negotiated.
Israeli officials estimate that approximately 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attack, including 33 American citizens. The jihadists also took about 240 civilians hostage, including about 10 Americans, one of whom, 4-year-old Abigail Edan, was freed last month.
Israel responded by declaring war on the terrorist group, carrying out airstrikes and launching a full ground assault on Gaza in a large-scale effort to “demolish Hamas,” according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At least one GWU panelist affirmed the Jewish state’s right to self-defense, but several continued to characterize the actions of the Israel Defense Forces as part of a broader “colonial” project to ultimately eliminate the civilian population in Gaza. .
On October 7, Hamas invaded the Jewish state to brutalize, maim, rape and kill Israelis, mostly civilians, in a surprise invasion that left more than 1,200 dead, including 33 American citizens. Via REUTERS
“Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign in the Strip which over the past eight weeks, as we now know, has deliberately attacked and continues to deliberately attack high-rise residential buildings, bakeries, schools, universities and UN shelters,” Robinson said. during the panel.
Hamas is known to use civilians in the region as human shields, endangering them by carrying out operations and storing weapons arsenals in hospitals, schools and mosques, another reality never acknowledged by the panel.
A senior IDF official noted last week that approximately two civilians have been killed in the war for every Hamas terrorist killed, corroborating reports that around 5,000 terrorists and 10,000 civilians have been killed in the fighting.
The IDF spokesperson noted that the ratio is “unprecedented in the modern history of urban warfare,” as the Gaza Strip has one of the highest population densities in the world.
Israel responded by declaring war on the terrorist group, carrying out airstrikes and eventually launching an all-out ground assault on Gaza in a large-scale effort to “demolished Hamas.” Anadolu via Getty Images A senior IDF official noted that, as a result, approximately two civilians have been killed in the war for every Hamas terrorist killed, corroborating that 5,000 terrorists and 10,000 civilians have perished. Anadolu via Getty Images
Several concerned students and faculty attempted to ask questions about the panel’s presentation, but were ignored; some were also berated by anonymous users in the chat box during the Zoom meeting.
Jewish students at the medical school were particularly dismayed by the panel discussion, telling The Post that it had only contributed to the spread of anti-Semitism on campus that exploded after the Hamas terrorist attack.
Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Yolanda Haywood apologized to the medical school community after the panel, but her statement about the fallout from the discussion did not mention Jewish students or denounce anti-Semitism.
“The primary goal was to offer an experience that would result in thoughtful reflection and be a stimulus to broader and more open communication,” Haywood’s statement read. “As the webinar progressed, it became clear that this program was not a balanced presentation on this very divisive and difficult topic.”
At least 17 anti-Semitic incidents have occurred on campus this year, according to the AMCHA Initiative, including recent defenses of Hamas by the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. provided
Jewish students who spoke to The Post emphasized that the statement was part of a pattern of “generic corporate apologies” by administrators who have not “taken any viable steps to make their Jewish students feel safe on campus.”
“Being a medical student at GW now has made me feel alone and scared about the future of healthcare,” one said. “I am amazed how a medical school and its students, who dedicate their careers to preserving life, have remained silent since October 7.”
“Many of my peers who are passionate about women’s health don’t care about rape, mutilation, and desecration of women’s bodies when it comes to Jewish women,” the same student added. “My Jewish friends and I have supported our classmates to amplify the #MeToo movement, abortion rights and Black Lives Matter. His silence at this moment is deafening.
“I have more power than ever to become a doctor and to be able to use my voice to advocate for Jewish patients, because clearly many of my classmates are not interested in doing the same.”
Students projected anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas messages on the side of a library building on their campus in Washington, D.C., proclaiming “Glory to our martyrs” in the wake of the Hamas attack. provided
Another student noted that “in Israel, when medical professionals arrive at the scene of a terrorist attack, they treat the person who is the worst injured.”
“Often, it’s the terrorist himself,” the Jewish student said. “This is because we prioritize the preservation of human life above all else. “I thought that was what it meant to be a medical professional, but clearly some of my colleagues don’t feel the same way.”
George Washington University has the fourth-largest Jewish student population of all U.S. private universities, but still records a high rate of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hostility on campus, according to a 2016 report from Brandeis University.
At least 17 anti-Semitic incidents have occurred on campus this year, according to the AMCHA Initiative, including recent defenses of Hamas terrorism by the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.
In late October, students projected anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas messages on the side of a library building, including “Glory to our martyrs” and “Free Palestine from the river to the sea,” which is widely understood as a call to the eradication of Israel.
The U.S. Department of Education is also investigating a civil rights discrimination complaint against a George Washington psychology professor who allegedly harassed Jewish students with anti-Semitic remarks during a required diversity course, and then retaliated against them for reporting her to him. the administrators.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) wrote to GWU President Ellen Granberg in October, urging her to “take immediate disciplinary action against those who projected anti-Semitic messages on campus buildings.”
“Jewish students do not feel safe on their own campuses, and I am dismayed that university presidents and administrators, including GW, have not yet strongly condemned Hamas terrorism and the vile speech of student groups,” he said Gottheimer at that time.
George Washington University has the fourth-largest Jewish student population of any private university in the United States, but still has a high rate of anti-Semitism on campus. The Washington Post via Getty Images
“You have not only the responsibility, but the obligation, to protect all students, including Jewish students, and ensure that they can continue to be part of the university community safely.”
“GW has repeatedly condemned Hamas and its horrific October 7 terrorist attack against Israel,” a university spokesperson told The Post on Sunday.
“While GW faculty and students have the right to freely express their own views, they do not speak on behalf of the University. Most topics, including this one, are the subject of a variety of events from different perspectives, and many events and discussions do not (nor can they be expected to) reflect all sides of each topic.”
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