George Washington University’s medical school hosted a faculty panel last week that declared Hamas terrorists have a “right to resist” Israel, according to video footage obtained exclusively by The Post.
The Dec. 4 discussion is titled “Understanding Conflict in Israel and Palestine” and is sponsored by the Anti-Racist Coalition of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Institute of Middle East Studies.
The panelists referred to the Jewish state’s military operations in the Gaza Strip as “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide,” while failing to discuss the atrocities committed by Hamas in the October 7 attack on southern Israel, its designation as a foreign terrorist organization or that it is still held over 100 Israeli and US civilians hostage.
“Israel can rightly claim self-defense, but I also want to note here that Hamas and the Palestinian people also have a right to protest,” Michael Barnett, a professor of international affairs and political science, said during the panel.
“We have all been shaken by the events of October 7,” added Shira Robinson, a professor of history and international affairs. “But we all recognize that the event has a history.”
George Washington University’s medical school hosted a faculty panel Monday that declared Hamas terrorists have a “right to resist” Israel. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The panelists failed to describe the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, its designation as a foreign terrorist organization or that it is still holding more than 100 Israeli and US civilians hostage. Getty Images
The Hamas attack ended a ceasefire reached after the May 2021 conflict in which Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel over an 11-day period before a peace deal was brokered.
Israeli officials estimated about 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attack, including 33 US citizens. The jihadists also took about 240 civilians hostage, including about 10 Americans – one of whom, 4-year-old Abigail Edan, was released last month.
Israel responded by declaring war on the terrorist group, carrying out airstrikes and launching a full-scale ground offensive in Gaza in a massive 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 describe the Israel Defense Forces’ actions as part of a larger “colonial” project to eliminate the civilian population of Gaza.
On October 7, Hamas invaded the Jewish state to persecute, maim, rape and kill Israelis, mostly civilians, in a surprise invasion that left more than 1,200 dead — including 33 US citizens. via REUTERS
“Israel launched an unprecedented campaign of carpet bombing in that strip that over the past eight weeks, we now know, has deliberately targeted and continues to target 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, putting them in harm’s way by conducting operations and stockpiling weapons in hospitals, schools and mosques — another reality the panel never acknowledged.
A senior IDF official stated last week that about two civilians have been killed in the war for every Hamas terrorist killed, supporting reports that some 5,000 terrorists and 10,000 civilians have died in the fighting.
An IDF spokesman insisted the ratio was “unprecedented in the history of modern 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, launching airstrikes and eventually launching a full-scale ground offensive in Gaza in a massive effort to “demolish Hamas.” Anadolu via Getty Images A senior IDF official stated that approximately two civilians have been killed in the war for every Hamas terrorist who has died as a result, confirming that 5,000 terrorists and 10,000 civilians have perished. Anadolu via Getty Images
Some concerned students and faculty tried to ask questions about the panel presentation but were ignored — with some even being scolded by anonymous users in the chat box during the Zoom meeting.
Jewish students at the medical school were shocked by the panel’s discussion and told The Post that it only contributed to the spread of antisemitism on campus that has exploded in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks.
Diversity and Inclusion Dean 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 antisemitism.
“The ultimate goal is to offer an experience that will produce thoughtful reflection and be a stimulus for broader and open communication,” Haywood’s statement said. “As the webinar continued, it became apparent that the program was not a balanced presentation of this most divisive and difficult subject.”
At least 17 antisemitic incidents have occurred on campus this year, according to the AMCHA Initiative, including the recent defense of Hamas by school students for Justice in Palestine. available
Jewish students who spoke to The Post insisted that the statement was part of a pattern of “generic corporate apologies” by administrators who did not “take any actionable steps to make their Jewish students feel safe on campus.”
“Being a medical student at GW right now makes me feel alone and scared for the future of health care,” said one. “I am amazed how a medical school and its students, who dedicate their careers to preserving life, have been silent since October 7.”
“Many of my peers who are interested in women’s health do not care about the rape, mutilation, and desecration of women’s bodies when it is a Jewish woman,” added the same student. “My Jewish friends and I have stood with our classmates to strengthen the #MeToo movement, abortion rights and Black Lives Matter. Their silence now is deafening.
“I’m more empowered than ever to be a doctor so I can use my voice to advocate for Jewish patients, because obviously many of my classmates don’t care to do the same.”
Students projected antisemitic and pro-Hamas messages onto the side of a library building on its campus in Washington, DC, proclaiming “Glory to our martyrs” following the Hamas attack. available
Another student pointed out that “in Israel, when medical professionals arrive at the scene of a terrorist attack, they treat the most seriously injured.”
“Most of the time, it’s the terrorists themselves,” said the Jewish student. “This is because we prioritize the preservation of human life above everything else. I think that’s what being a medical professional is all about, but obviously some of my colleagues don’t feel the same way.”
George Washington University has the fourth largest Jewish student population of any private university in the US — but still records high rates of antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility on campus, a 2016 report from Brandeis University found.
At least 17 antisemitic incidents have occurred on campus this year, according to the AMCHA Initiative, including the recent defense of Hamas violence by school students for Justice in Palestine.
In late October, students projected antisemitic and pro-Hamas messages onto the side of the library building, including “Glory to our martyrs” and “Free Palestine from river to sea,” widely understood as a call to eradicate Israel.
The US Department of Education is also investigating a civil rights discrimination complaint against a George Washington psychology professor who allegedly harassed Jewish students with antisemitic comments during a mandatory diversity course — and then retaliated against them for reporting it to administrators.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) wrote to GWU President Ellen Granberg in October, urging her to “take immediate disciplinary action against those who project antisemitic messages on campus buildings.”
“Jewish students do not feel safe on their own campuses, and I am shocked that university presidents and administrators, including at GW, have yet to strongly condemn Hamas violence and vile speech by student groups,” Gottheimer said at the time.
George Washington University has the fourth largest Jewish student population of any private university in the US, but still records high rates of antisemitism on campus. The Washington Post via Getty Images
“You have not only a responsibility, but an obligation, to protect all students, including Jewish students, and ensure they can remain a safe part of the campus community.”
“GW has repeatedly condemned Hamas and their horrific October 7 terrorist attack on Israel,” a university spokesperson told The Post Sunday.
“While faculty and students at GW have the right to freely express their own views, they do not speak for the University. Most issues, including this one, are the topic of multiple events from different perspectives, and many events and discussions do not — and cannot be expected to — reflect all sides of every issue.”
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