Connect with us

RSS

US House Approves Resolution Calling for Harvard, MIT Presidents to Resign Over Antisemitism Testimony

US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) speaks during a House Education and The Workforce Committee hearing titled ‘Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism’ on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, Dec. 5, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday evening approved a resolution condemning testimony from the presidents of three elite universities who last week refused to declare that calling for the genocide of Jews would constitute a violation of school rules.

Lawmakers cleared the bipartisan measure in a 303-126 vote, formally rebuking the comments of Claudine Gay of Harvard University, Elizabeth Magill of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). All but one Republican voted for the measure.

The vote divided Democrats, however, with 125 opposing the resolution and dozens voting for it. Three Democrats voted present.

The resolution demanded the resignations of Gay and Kornbluth, after Magll resigned over what critics described as an insufficient response to surging antisemitism on campus.

“President Magill has resigned, and the other presidents should follow suit,” the resolution stated. “Acts of hate, intimidation, discrimination, and violence-based on ethnicity or religion have no place in our country or in the global community.”

For over three hours last Tuesday, Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth evaded answering questions posed by members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, dodging sharp inquiries about how they have responded to deepening hostility to Israel and the Jewish community on their campuses.

“Resolved, that the House of Representatives (1) strongly condemns the rise of antisemitism on university campuses around the country; and (2) strongly condemns the testimony of University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill, Harvard University President Claudine Gay, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth and their failure to clearly state that calls for the genocide of Jews constitute harassment and violate their institutions’ code of conduct,” the resolution stated.

The testimonies of the university presidents went viral and prompted widespread calls for their resignations on social media. By the time Magill resigned on Saturday, two Jewish students had sued the school for civil rights violations and a major donor threatened to withhold a $100 million gift if she remained in the position. Magill told the committee that designating calls for the genocide of Jews as violations of university policy on bullying and harassment would be “context-dependent.” Gay similarly said it “depends on the context,” and Kornbluth remarked it would only constitute harassment if it were “targeted at individuals.”

Following Magill’s resignation, Gay came under scrutiny, with calls for her resignation crescendoing over the weekend alongside allegations — which the university has addressed in a statement — that she plagiarized portions of her early academic work. As of Wednesday, Gay remains on the job after receiving an outpouring of support from Harvard faculty and a vote of confidence from Harvard’s top governing board.

“This is not a partisan issue but a question of moral clarity, which is why our colleagues from across the aisle have come together with us to introduce a resolution condemning antisemitism on university campuses as well as the morally bankrupt testimonies of the University presidents from Harvard, Penn, and MIT,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who proposed the resolution and initiated the exchange with the college presidents that drew widespread attention, said in a statement. “We are only just beginning to address the pervasive rot of antisemitism that has infected America’s higher education system and we will not stop until it is rooted out and those responsible for fostering its growth are held accountable. Antisemitism has no place in America.”

Stefanik introduced the bipartisan resolution on Tuesday alongside Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).

“Students are scared to be Jewish on campus and these presidents’ answers before Congress reinforced their failures of leadership over the last few months,” Gottheimer said in a statement.

“I will always defend the right to free speech, even when what’s being said is incredibly offensive. But I won’t sit back when words and actions violate the law, instill fear, and put students in danger,” he added. “There is a right to freedom of speech, but there is also a freedom of fear when at school. As a dad, I don’t ever want any student — regardless of background — to feel scared to be who they are at school.”

In addition to the resolution, the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce announced last Thursday a new investigation into Harvard, MIT, and Penn to determine whether they have failed to address surging antisemitism on their campuses.

Both actions come amid an alarming spike in antisemitic incidents — including demonstrations calling for Israel’s destruction and the intimidation and harassment of Jewish students— since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel. Elite universities — including Harvard, Penn, and MIT — have been among the biggest hubs of such activity, with students and faculty both demonizing Israel and rationalizing the Hamas atrocities.

Incidents of harassment and even violence against Jewish students have also increased. As a result, Jewish students have expressed feeling unsafe and unprotected on campuses. In some cases, Jewish communities on campuses have been forced to endure threats of rape and mass slaughter.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

The post US House Approves Resolution Calling for Harvard, MIT Presidents to Resign Over Antisemitism Testimony first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

RSS

Israel Receives Shipment of Heavy Bombs Cleared by Trump

US President Donald Trump looks on as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, Jan. 31, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Israel has received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs from the United States, after US President Donald Trump lifted a block imposed on the export of the munitions by the administration of predecessor Joe Biden, the defense ministry said on Sunday.

The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000 pound bomb, which can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius.

The Biden administration declined to clear them for export to Israel out of concern about the impact on densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.

The Biden administration sent thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas terrorists from Gaza but later held up one of the shipments. The hold was lifted by Trump last month.

“The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel tonight, released by the Trump Administration, represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said late on Saturday.

The shipment arrived after days of concern about whether a fragile ceasefire in Gaza agreed last month would hold, after both sides accused each other of violating the terms of the deal to halt fighting to allow the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.

Washington has announced assistance for Israel worth billions of dollars since the war began.

The post Israel Receives Shipment of Heavy Bombs Cleared by Trump first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

US Mideast Envoy Says Phase Two Gaza Talks to Continue This Week

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that talks on phase two of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian terrorists Hamas would continue this week “at a location to be determined” to figure out how to reach a successful conclusion.

He told Fox News that he had “very productive and constructive” calls on Sunday with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s director of intelligence.

Witkoff said they spoke about “the sequencing of phase two, setting forth positions on both sides, so we can understand… where we are today, and then continuing talks this week at a location to be determined so that we can figure out how we get to the end of phase two successfully.”

The post US Mideast Envoy Says Phase Two Gaza Talks to Continue This Week first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

Arab States to Reveal 5-Year Plan to Rebuild Gaza: No Hamas or Relocation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the Arab summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 31, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed/File Photo.

i24 NewsArab countries will unveil their plan for the reconstruction of Gaza on February 27 in Cairo. This initiative, developed by the Palestinians and handed over to the Egyptians for implementation, will be presented to the leaders of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The plan provides for reconstruction over three to five years, without the displacement of the Palestinian population and without Hamas control. The funding, estimated at several hundred million dollars, will come from Gulf countries. The work will be carried out by Egyptian companies, representing a significant source of income for Egypt, which is strongly opposed to any migration of Palestinians out of Gaza. The workforce will consist mainly of local Palestinians.

“The goal is to marginalize Hamas so that it understands that it has lost control of Gaza, and to completely eliminate the terrorist organization’s grip on the population and the territory within 5 years from the start of reconstruction,” a source involved in the plan said.

An independent “Palestinian administration,” separate from the Palestinian Authority but relying on it, will oversee the reconstruction. This power structure is designed to get the approval of Israel and the United States, who refuse direct management by the Palestinian Authority.

Arab countries fear a resurgence of fighting by Israel, which could, in their view, favor US President Donald Trump’s plan to move Palestinians to neighboring countries. The former US president said he wanted to see Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab countries welcome more displaced people from Gaza, so that the war-torn area can be “cleaned up.”

According to analyzed satellite images, approximately 65% of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed during the war. Experts estimate that reconstruction could take more than a decade and cost several hundred billion dollars.

The post Arab States to Reveal 5-Year Plan to Rebuild Gaza: No Hamas or Relocation first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2017 - 2023 Jewish Post & News