US university presidents grilled on accusations of antisemitism on campuses

This week, presidents of three of the top universities in the US, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Pennsylvania, appeared before Congress to face questions over allegations of antisemitism on their campuses.

On Tuesday, 5 December, they were grilled for over five hours on detailed aspects of how the Israel-Palestine conflict plays out on campus, as the Congress members focused on student demonstrations against Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, as they worked to make the case that these actions are tied to antisemitism.

These allegations, with the most damaging being calls on campus for the genocide of Jews, largely stem from chants by students during pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including calls for an intifada, as well as using the words: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free". 

Though there have been no explicit calls for genocide, pro-Israeli groups have persistently claimed these slogans of implying that. This has put university administrators in the cumbersome position of trying to defend liberally interpreted statements on the grounds of free speech. 

In one statement, Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York asked the three university presidents if "calling for the genocide of Jews" would violate their university's code of conduct.

They seemed unprepared for the question, with Harvard's president, Claudine Gay, at first saying that she hadn't heard of any calls for genocide, then going along with Stefanik's interpretation of protesters' chants for an intifada (which does not translate to genocide in Arabic, but literally means shaking off and is commonly used to mean popular resistance). UPenn's Liz Magill similarly seemed to stumble over Stefanik's repeated questioning. 

"Since everyone takes it at face value, if we were just to stop and take a breath. Imagine if Magill had turned to Stefanik and said that no one had argued for the genocide of Jews," Robert Vitalis, a professor of political science at UPenn, told The New Arab. 

"You have to accept that 'intifada' means genocide. I've yet to see someone challenge that," he said.

Though tensions over the Israel-Palestine conflict have long existed on university campuses, Israel's war in Gaza has brought them to the forefront, with the shuttering of student clubs, the cancelling of cultural events, and calls to fire professors and administrators critical of Israel or supportive of those who voice such criticism.

"The war is a gift to this whole agenda," said Vitalis, noting that many of the same Congress members leading these charges have also been active in pressuring universities to restrict LGBTQ+ rights.

Leading the pressure on university administrators to crack down on alleged antisemitism are large donors, who, in some cases, have withheld significant donations. This week, Ross Stevens, founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, announced he would withhold a US$100 million donation to the University of Pennsylvania over Magill's testimony in the House Committee hearing. Other donors have also threatened to withhold large sums.

Meanwhile, trucks have been driving around these three university campuses, calling for the president's firing. Multiple news outlets have speculated that they will likely soon step down over their alleged acceptance of antisemitism on campus.