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700 George Washington University Affiliates Call for Rescission of Diploma Over Anti-Zionist Commencement Speech
Graduating George Washington University senior Cecilia Culver delivering a surprise anti-Zionist commencement speech in May 2025. Photo: Screenshot.
Over 700 affiliates of George Washington University (GW) have signed an open letter urging school officials to withhold the diploma of a student who used her commencement speech to lodge spurious accusations of apartheid and genocide against Israel, a notion trafficked by neo-Nazi groups and jihadist terror organizations.
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the student, Cecilia Culver, accused Israel of targeting Palestinians “simply for [their] remaining in the country of their ancestors” and said that GW students are passive contributors to the “imperialist system.” An economics and statistics major, Culver deceived administrators who selected her to address the Columbian College of the Arts and Sciences ceremony, the university said in a statement issued after the remarks circulated on social media.
“I am ashamed to know my tuition is being used to fund genocide,” Culver said, prompting waves of applause and exclamations of support. “Every year, the cost of attending this university increases without a corresponding improvement in the facilities and resources provided to students, staff, and faculty. Instead, our money is put into the pockets of those who unequivocally prove time and time again they do not care about the students and faculty that [sic] create this university’s prestigious university [sic].”
Culver also charged that GW has “blood” on its hands.
Now, over 700 affiliates of the university — a figure which includes students, parents, and alumni — are calling for Culver’s diploma to be withheld indefinitely as punishment for what they described as her ruining graduation for hundreds of Jewish students and families.
“To set an affirmative precedent for ensuring a safe and welcoming community at GW, swift and serious action must be taken. The undersigned therefore strongly urge the immediate rescission of Cecilia Culver’s diploma until she issues a public apology retracting her statement to the university community, acknowledging the antisemitic nature and inappropriateness of her conduct. Comparable disciplinary action was taken by NYU [New York University] under similar circumstances; GW must hold itself to a no lower standard,” said Tuesday’s open letter, authored by another graduating GW senior, Sabrina Soffer.
The letter noted that during Culver’s speech, the master of ceremonies, gender and sexuality professor Dr. Kavita Daiya, appeared elated and thanked Culver, for “sharing your words and your views,” insisting that she too must “apologize for her role in legitimizing and appearing to support Culver’s incitement, rather than giving it no attention at all, cutting the microphone, or making an unambiguous statement condemning Culver’s speech as inappropriate and hateful.”
It continued, “Regardless of intentions, harm was caused by Dean Daiya’s actions, or lack thereof. Anything less would signal that rules at GW are optional — and that the administration is willing to tolerate the politicization of sacred academic milestones and the demonization of entire communities under the guise of so-called social justice activism.”
Responding to an inquiry about the letter, a GW spokeswoman referred The Algemeiner to a statement issued on Tuesday. It said: “We deeply regret that this moment of special celebration was violated for our students, their families, and other members of our community by this speaker, a former student who earned her degree in December of 2024. The speaker’s conduct during Saturday’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Celebration event was inappropriate and dishonest: the speaker submitted and recited in rehearsal very different remarks than those she delivered at the ceremony. The speaker has been barred from all GW campuses and sponsored events elsewhere. We are conducting a thorough review of the incident, and will take appropriate accountability actions.”
Soffer told The Algemeiner in a statement that GW does not have the option of pretending that Culver’s speech did not happen.
“The idea that the university can simply release a statement and move on without taking meaningful action points to a serious accountability crisis,” she said. “That must change. GW has the opportunity to demonstrate to its community that it upholds its values and policies — not just in words, but through real, swift consequences. Let’s be clear: turning a graduation ceremony into a platform for a hateful political tirade — of any kind — does not champion free speech. Instead, it infringes on everyone’s right to celebrate and enjoy the occasion for what it is meant to be: a shared moment of achievement and unity.”
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, George Washington University has become a hub of extreme anti-Zionist activity that school officials have struggled to quell. A major source of such conduct has been Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which recently escalated its behavior by issuing an ominous warning to a professor who was involved in crafting a proposal to relocate Palestinians in Gaza.
“This notice is to inform you that you are hereby evicted from the premises of the George Washington University,” SJP wrote in a missive it taped to the office door of international affairs professor Joseph Pelzman, who first shared the resettlement plan with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in July 2024, according to an account of events he described to the podcast “America, Baby!” the following month.
Denouncing Pelzman as the “architect of genocide,” SJP added, “Pelzman’s tenure is only one pernicious symptom of the bloodthirsty Zionism permeating our campus … The proprietors of this eviction notice demand your immediate removal.”
SJP’s threat to Pelzman, an accomplished academic who has focused heavily on the Middle East region, came as the group served probation for breaking a slew of school rules during the 2023-2024 academic year — a term which saw it heap abuse on school officials, visitors to campus representing former US President Joe Biden’s administration, and African Americans. Earlier this year, SJP held a “teach-in” that commemorated the First Intifada, an outbreak of Palestinian terrorism which began in December 1987 and, lasting for nearly six years, claimed the lives of scores of Israelis.
The group is currently suspended, according to The GW Hatchet, as the university has decided it is “a threat to the stability and continuance of normal university functions.”
GW faculty have also contributed to the promotion of anti-Zionism on campus. In 2023, former psychology professor Lara Sheehi was accused of verbally abusing and discriminating against her Jewish graduate students.
As recounted by a civil rights complaint filed by StandWithUs, Sheehi expressed contempt for Jews when, on the first day of term in August 2022, she asked every student to share information about their backgrounds and cultures. Replying to a student who revealed that she was Israeli, Sheehi said, “It’s not your fault you were born in Israel.” Jewish students said they made several attempts to persuade the university to correct Sheehi’s behavior or arrange an alternative option for fulfilling the requirements of her course. Each time, StandWithUs alleged, administrators said nothing could be done.
Later, the complaint added, Sheehi spread rumors that her Jewish students were “combative” racists and filed misconduct charges against them. One student told The Algemeiner at the time that she never learned what university policies Sheehi accused her and her classmates of violating.
In April, the advocacy group GWU Jewish Pulse — founded by author Lea Wolf, Soffer’s mother — told the university in an open letter that it must address these issues before deeming it appropriate to solicit donations from community members who feel that it has failed to curb hatred and discriminatory practices that would not be tolerated were they perpetrated against other minority groups.
“Before asking parents and alumni to contribute financially, perhaps it is time to confront the environment the university has actively cultivated — and what, if any, meaningful measures have been offered to Jewish students amid rising hostility, blatant hatred, and a stream of empty institutional platitudes,” said the letter. “For many families, George Washington University has indeed been transformational — but due to the intense and painful realization that GW is tolerant of Hamas propaganda and is willing to sacrifice its Jewish community in pursuit of financial gain, shielding liability, and a dangerous political agenda.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post 700 George Washington University Affiliates Call for Rescission of Diploma Over Anti-Zionist Commencement Speech first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli FM Urges Action as Anti-Israel Protesters Block Cruise Ship at Greek Island, Forcing Diversion to Cyprus
Pro-Palestinian protesters gather at the port of Syros, Greece, blocking an Israeli cruise ship from docking and disembarking. Photo: Screenshot
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, to take action after pro-Palestinian protesters prevented hundreds of Israeli passengers from disembarking a cruise ship near the island of Syros.
On Tuesday, approximately 1,600 Israeli passengers expecting a peaceful stop on their cruise were unable to disembark from a ship docked on the island of Syros — located in the central Aegean Sea — after large anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests erupted at the port, raising safety concerns.
In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that Saar “requested [Gerapetritis’] intervention in an effort to resolve the docking of the ship in Greece.”
Departing from Haifa in northern Israel on Sunday, the MS Crown Iris — owned by Israeli cruise line Mano Maritime and flying a Panamanian flag — stopped in Rhodes, a Greek island in the southeastern Aegean, and was scheduled to dock in Syros.
Amid the large anti-Israel protest, the cruise company chose to divert the ship to Limassol, Cyprus, rather than attempt to disembark at Syros, according to Hebrew media reports.
Όπως ήρθε-έφυγε από τη #Σύρο το κρουαζιερόπλοιο Crown Iris που μετέφερε Ισραηλινούς τουρίστες αφού κάτοικοι & φορείς που αντιδρούν στη γενοκτονία στην #παλαιστινη βρέθηκαν στο λιμάνι παρεμποδίζοντας την αποβίβασή τους! #antireport #FreePalestine #Συρος pic.twitter.com/ssqg9WzkAm
— Μένουμε Ενεργοί – Ενημέρωση, Αγώνας, Αλληλεγγύη (@menoume_energoi) July 22, 2025
Around 300 protesters gathered at the dock to protest against the war in Gaza, while Syros Port Authority police guarded the area and intervened to prevent violence until the ship departed.
In videos circulating on social media, protesters are seen waving Palestinian flags and holding banners with slogans such as “Stop the Genocide” and “No AC [Air Conditioning] in Hell,” while chanting antisemitic slogans.
Other footage captures Israeli passengers responding by waving Israeli flags and chanting “Am Yisrael Chai,” which means “The people of Israel live.”
Hundreds of Israelis aboard a Mano Maritime cruise ship were stranded at the port of Syros, Greece, after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked them from disembarking pic.twitter.com/npWwMDLPbW
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) July 22, 2025
Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents have surged to alarming levels across Europe. This recent incident appears to be just one of the latest in a wave of anti-Jewish hate crimes that Greece and other countries have witnessed in recent months.
Last week in Athens, a group of pro-Palestinian activists vandalized an Israeli restaurant, shouting antisemitic slurs and spray-painting graffiti with slogans such as “No Zionist is safe here.”
The attackers also posted a sign on one of the restaurant’s windows that read, “All IDF soldiers are war criminals — we don’t want you here,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
Last month, an Israeli tourist was attacked by a group of pro-Palestinian activists after they overheard him using Google Maps in Hebrew while navigating through Athens.
When the attackers realized the victim was speaking Hebrew, they began physically assaulting him while shouting antisemitic slurs.
Although local police arrived promptly, a large crowd had already gathered outside the restaurant where the victim had sought shelter.
At first, authorities mistakenly arrested the victim, accusing him of the attack. However, after video footage clarified the situation, they apologized and took him to the nearest hospital.
The post Israeli FM Urges Action as Anti-Israel Protesters Block Cruise Ship at Greek Island, Forcing Diversion to Cyprus first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Netanyahu Brushes Off Arrest Threats From Mamdani: ‘There’s Enough Craziness in the World’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Feb. 16, 2025. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed threats made by New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to arrest him if he visits the city, calling the pledge “silly” during a Monday appearance on the “Full Send” podcast.
Speaking to host Aaron “Steiny” Steinberg, Netanyahu was asked about Mamdani’s repeated vow to enforce the International Criminal Court’s 2024 arrest warrant against him, related to alleged war crimes during Israel’s military operations against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
“I’m not concerned,” Netanyahu said. “There’s enough craziness in the world, but I guess it never ends … It’s silly in many ways.”
In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and now-deceased Hamas terrorist leader Ibrahim al-Masri (better known as Mohammed Deif) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.
The ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for starvation in Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians — charges vehemently denied by Israel, which has provided significant humanitarian aid into the enclave throughout much of the war.
Israel also says it has gone to unprecedented lengths to try and avoid civilian casualties, despite Hamas’s widely acknowledged military strategy of embedding its terrorists within Gaza’s civilian population and commandeering civilian facilities like hospitals, schools, and mosques to run operations and direct attacks.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist and state assemblyman from Queens, surged to national attention in June after defeating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary, becoming the party’s nominee heading into November’s general election. He ran on a platform of aligning city policy with international law, promising that New York City would enforce ICC warrants, even if that meant arresting a visiting foreign leader.
Mamdani defended his vow to arrest Netanyahu if he visits New York during an event at the B’nai Jeshurun synagogue in Manhattan last month, comparing the Israeli premier to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“My answer is the same whether we are speaking about Vladimir Putin or Netanyahu. I think that this should be a city that is in compliance with international law,” Mamdani said. “And we have seen, other countries across the world that are signatories of the ICC that they would honor that same request, being Canada or other countries in Europe, and their honoring of it meant that Netanyahu did not travel there.”
Mamdani acknowledged that the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, but argued that “there are times where courage is required,” comparing his desire to arrest Netanyahu to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to defy federal law and issue marriage certificates to same-sex couples as mayor of San Francisco.
“What I am trying to showcase is a belief that international law is something that should be honored, should be respected, and something that we should actually bring our city into compliance with,” Mamdani said.
Netanyahu on Monday expressed disappointment in Mamdani’s victory but claimed that residents of the Big Apple will eventually become disillusioned with the progressive firebrand after confronting the “reality” of his far-left agenda.
“A lot of people have been taken in by this nonsense. You want to defund the police? You want to have people go into stores and rob them and be free, you think that creates a good society?” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu reaffirmed on the podcast that he still plans to visit New York City in the future and suggested he might travel with US President Donald Trump. The remarks echoed a statement Netanyahu made earlier this month, when he similarly downplayed Mamdani’s comments to arrest him while meeting with US officials in Washington, DC.
During the White House meeting, Trump dismissed Mamdani’s threats and labeled him a “communist.” Trump also added, “I’ll get him out,” referring to Netanyahu if the two leaders visit New York City together. Trump has also reportedly discussed the possibility of cutting federal funding to cities that attempt to act on ICC warrants without coordination with the US government.
Steinberg referred to Mamdani as an “antisemite” during Monday’s interview.
A little-known politician before this year’s mayoral primary campaign, Mamdani is an outspoken supporter of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to isolate Israel from the international community as a step toward its eventual elimination.
Mamdani has also repeatedly refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, falsely suggesting the country does not offer “equal rights” for all its citizens.
Most recently, Mamdani defended the phrase “globalize the intifada”— which references previous periods of sustained Palestinian terrorism against Jews and Israels and has been widely interpreted as a call to expand political violence — by invoking the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during World War II. He later clarified that he would discourage its use while continuing to back the broader anti-Israel movement it represents.
The post Netanyahu Brushes Off Arrest Threats From Mamdani: ‘There’s Enough Craziness in the World’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syrian Committee Reports 1,426 Killed in March Violence, Says Commanders Did Not Order It
Alawite Syrians, who fled the violence in western Syria, walk in Nahr El Kabir River, after the reported mass killings of Alawite minority members, in Akkar, Lebanon March 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A Syrian fact-finding committee said on Tuesday that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks.
The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad last year. The fact-finding committee‘s work is seen as an important test of the new leadership, made up mainly of former anti-Assad rebel fighters, who are facing new unrest this month involving other minority groups in the southwest.
The committee concluded that Syrian commanders did not give orders to commit violations and in fact gave orders to halt them.
It came up with a list of 298 suspects involved in violations against Alawites and 265 involved in the initial attack on security forces, committee head Jumaa Al-Anzi said.
The names are not being released publicly for now and have been referred to courts for further investigations, spokesperson Yasser Farhan said. He added that 31 people who committed violations against civilians had been arrested, as well as six people he referred to as “remnants” of the former regime.
A Reuters investigation last month identified 1,479 Syrian Alawites killed and dozens who were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings, and found a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria’s new leaders in Damascus.
Syria’s new leadership, which has roots in the insurgency led by Sunni Muslim Islamist groups against Assad, a member of the Alawite minority sect, has long sought to reassure minorities that they will be safe.
Safety of minorities has become a major issue again this month with hundreds of people killed in clashes between government security forces, Sunni Bedouin fighters and militants from the Druze sect in the southern province of Sweida. The authorities have set up a new fact-finding committee in response.
‘WIDESPREAD BUT NOT ORGANIZED’
The violence in March began on March 6 with attacks on Syrian security forces stationed in the region. It put hospitals and other state institutions out of operation and caused wide areas to fall out of government control, Farhan said.
The committee found that 238 members of the security forces were killed in these attacks, perpetrated by forces aligned with the former Assad government, Farhan said.
In response, around 200,000 armed men mobilized from across Syria, pouring into the coastal region, he said.
This led to violations including killings, theft, and sectarian incitement that the committee found were “widespread but not organized,” Farhan said.
Farhan said the committee members had full cooperation from government forces as they undertook their months of work, and it was now up to President Ahmed al-Sharaa whether to release their report in full.
Diana Semaan, Syria researcher at Amnesty International, called for the full findings to be released and for perpetrators to face prosecution.
“In terms of the fact-finding committee, acknowledging that atrocities against Alawite civilians happened is an important step towards justice,” she told Reuters.
“[But] without the proper prosecution of perpetrators, then we have impunity. It won’t be the justice and accountability that the victims deserve.”
The post Syrian Committee Reports 1,426 Killed in March Violence, Says Commanders Did Not Order It first appeared on Algemeiner.com.