Universities Face Inquiry and Angry Donors Over Handling of Antisemitism

Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press

Harvard, M.I.T. and the University of Pennsylvania on Thursday faced threats from donors, demands that their presidents resign and a congressional investigation as repercussions mounted over the universities’ responses to antisemitism on campus.

At Penn, university trustees discussed the future of Elizabeth Magill, its president, whose congressional testimony on Tuesday set off a furor when she dodged the question of whether she would discipline students for calling for the genocide of Jews.

Her answers and similar comments by Claudine Gay of Harvard and Sally Kornbluth of M.I.T. at a House committee meeting set off accusations that they were doing little to protect their own students. All three said they had taken action against antisemitism, but critics argued they had not done enough or were even fostering antisemitism on their campuses.

In response, a House committee opened an investigation into the three institutions as its chairwoman criticized the schools for failing to tackle the “rampant antisemitism” on their campuses after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Representative Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who leads the Committee on Education and the Workforce, said the inquiry would examine “the learning environments” at Harvard, M.I.T. and Penn, as well as disciplinary procedures. She warned that the panel would “not hesitate” to issue subpoenas.

“The disgusting targeting and harassment of Jewish students is not limited to these institutions, and other universities should expect investigations as well, as their litany of similar failures has not gone unnoticed,” Ms. Foxx said in a statement.

Tensions at America’s Colleges Over Israel-Hamas War

U.S. campuses have been roiled by confrontations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

• Under Investigation: The U.S. government has opened investigations into several schools, including Columbia, Cornell and Harvard, following complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia.



• A Debate Over Speech: After a spate of antisemitic attacks, there seems to be little agreement over what kind of language is out of bounds on campus, which may help explain why schools are having difficulty tempering the anger.



• Students for Justice in Palestine: The campus group, which champions the Palestinian cause, has fueled activism and protests across the country. But critics accuse the organization of intimidation and antisemitism.



• Beyond Higher Education: Some public school educators in Oakland, Calif., presented pro-Palestinian lessons as part of an unauthorized teach-in. The school district opposed the event, and some Jewish groups condemned it.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, said all three presidents should leave their posts. “You cannot call for the genocide of Jews, the genocide of any group of people, and not say that that’s harassment,” she told Fox News.

And Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, denounced the university leaders at the National Menorah Lighting in Washington.

“Seeing the presidents of some of our most elite universities literally unable to denounce calling for the genocide of Jews as antisemitic — that lack of moral clarity is simply unacceptable,” said Mr. Emhoff, who is Jewish.

For Ms. Magill, pressure has been building within Penn’s community, too. The advisory board at Wharton, Penn’s business school, told Ms. Magill in a letter this week that “the university requires new leadership with immediate effect.”

And the hedge fund manager Ross L. Stevens said that he would pull back a donation, worth approximately $100 million, to fund the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance.

“Absent a change in leadership and values at Penn in the very near future,” he plans to rescind shares in Stone Ridge Holdings Group, he said in an email to his staff on Thursday.

“Mr. Stevens and Stone Ridge are appalled by the university’s stance on antisemitism on campus,” lawyers for Mr. Stevens wrote in a separate letter to the university’s general counsel informing her of his decision.

Representative Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York, questioned the presidents at Tuesday’s hearing. Credit... Ken Cedeno/Reuters

During an emergency meeting by telephone on Thursday, Penn’s board of trustees did not take a vote on whether to remove Ms. Magill, who had apologized earlier for her testimony. Instead, they pressed Ms. Magill and other leaders to express the university’s values with greater clarity. University officials did not respond to requests for interviews.

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a nonvoting member of Penn’s board, said on Thursday evening that he had urged the board to decide whether Ms. Magill’s testimony reflected the university’s values.

“I expect they’ll be meeting again in the coming days, and I expect them to carefully weigh that question,” he said, speaking to reporters after a visit to Penn Hillel, a Jewish campus group. “That’s a question for them to answer, not me.”

He said that Jewish students at Hillel told him that they did not feel support from the administration. Some of them said they did not feel supported by their professors, either, he said.

At M.I.T., the governing board issued a strong endorsement of Dr. Kornbluth’s leadership.

“She has done excellent work in leading our community, including in addressing antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hate,” the board said in a statement sent to all the university’s students, faculty and staff. “She has our full and unreserved support.”

Dr. Gay of Harvard issued a clarification on Wednesday: “Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.”

But David Wolpe, a prominent rabbi, said the problems at Harvard ran deep and he resigned on Thursday from Harvard’s antisemitism advisory committee, formed after the Oct. 7 attack.

Rabbi Wolpe praised Dr. Gay as a “kind and thoughtful person,” in a social media post, and said most students were not prosecuting an ideological agenda. But he said that antisemitism was so entrenched that he did not think he could make the kind of difference he had hoped for.

“Part of the problem is a simple herd mentality — people screaming slogans whose meaning and implication they know nothing of, or not wishing to be disliked by taking an unpopular position,” he wrote.

Reporting was contributed by Annie Karni, Lauren Hirsch and Joel Wolfram. Kitty Bennett contributed research.

6 Palestinians Killed in West Bank in Israeli Raids

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The health ministry of Palestine said at least six Palestinians have been killed and many wounded in Israeli raids across occupied West Bank on Thursday night and Friday morning.

The Palestinian health ministry said the six people were killed in the deadly Israeli raid on the Far’a refugee camp.

Eyewitnesses told WAFA news agency that Israeli soldiers obstructed ambulances and prevented them from rescuing injured people for some time.

A reporter with the news agency said that Israeli soldiers infiltrated the camp early morning with snipers taking positions on rooftops of several buildings. Fighting between residents and Israeli soldiers followed, Al Jazeera reported.

The Israeli regime continues intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as health facilities and humanitarian aid efforts are crumbling due to intense fighting.

The UN Security Council is expected to discuss situation in Gaza on Friday as countries press for a ceasefire amid continued opposition from veto-holding US.

At least 17,177 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

A view of the street as the clash breaks out between Palestinians and Israeli forces following the raid, conducted by Israeli army, on Jenin refugee camp in Jenin, West Bank on December 5, 2023. (Photo by Nedal Eshtayah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Hamas armed wing says Israeli soldier killed in thwarted rescue attempt

The armed wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, says it thwarted a rescue attempt by Israeli forces this morning, which led to the death of a captured soldier.

The Qassam Brigades said it discovered Israeli forces trying to free one of its hostages, but it “clashed” with them, which led to the death of the captured soldier, Sa’ar Baruch.

“The military aircraft intervened and bombed the place with a series of raids to cover up the attack,” the brigade said.

They added that the attack led to the obtaining of an Israeli rifle and the special forces communication device.

Israeli military claim to have hit targets in Syria

The Israeli military announced that they had, overnight, struck what they described as an “armed terrorist cell” in the vicinity of the occupied Golan Heights.

They said they had also hit several targets in Syria in response to attacks on the occupied Golan Heights yesterday.

The Golan Heights is a 1,200 square kilometre (463 square miles) plateau in Syrian territory that was occupied by Israel in 1967 after capturing the area in the Six-Day War. It was annexed by Israel in 1981.

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Gaza death toll soars as Israeli offensive intensifies

A flare falls over Gaza as seen from southern Israel, December 7. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

A Palestinian boy carrying a baby stands at a site of Israeli strikes, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, December 4. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Palestinians wounded in Israeli strikes are rushed into Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip December 7. REUTERS/Bassam Massoud

A woman sits with children outside, as displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strike, shelter in a camp in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, December 6. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

An Israeli soldier looks on from a Merkava tank while operating in a location given as Gaza, in this image picture released December 7. via Israel Defense Forces

A Palestinian man carries the body of a child killed in Israeli strikes on houses, at Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, December 7. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

A Palestinian woman kneels near the body of a Palestinian person who was killed during Israeli strikes on Ma'an school east of Khan Younis, at Nasser hospital, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, December 5. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Palestinians inspect the damage in the house destroyed at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Rafah, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, December 7. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Russian troops capture German Leopard & US Bradley - Video

FILE PHOTO.
©Global Look Press / Ann-Marie Utz

Russian soldiers in Ukraine have seized several Western-made pieces of heavy equipment in recent days, a series of videos published on social media has shown. The clips show Moscow’s troops driving a trophy US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and trying to start a German Leopard 2 battle tank.

Both videos were published by Russian journalist Vladimir Soloviev on his Telegram channel on Thursday. One of the clips shows a group of Russian soldiers led by one identified only by the call sign, ‘the Inquistor’, approaching a Leopard 2A4 tank.

The soldiers speak about starting its engine and driving it back to the Russian positions. The heavy armor in the footage appears to be unharmed but abandoned by Ukrainian forces. No visible damage to the tank can be seen.

The second clip published by the journalist later the same day purports to show a trophy US-made Bradely infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) maneuvering on a dirt road near a settlement. According to Soloviev, the Western equipment piece was also seized by the Russian troops and was subsequently made operational again.

Earlier this week, Russian media reported that Moscow’s troops managed to seize a Bradley IFV and safely deliver it to the Russian positions and then to the rear in late November. According to the Russian RG newspaper, Russian forces had already destroyed dozens of the US-made IFVs but their wreckage mostly remained on the battlefields and the one captured in last month was the first one that ended up in the hands of the Russian military “relatively intact.”

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ Exclusive from the front. Guardsman of the 2nd battalion of the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Guards Division with the call sign Inquisitor from a captured Ukrainian Leopard 2A4

#leopardour #cleopatra

Earlier this week, Russian media reported that Moscow’s troops managed to seize a Bradley IFV and safely deliver it to the Russian positions and then to the rear in late November. According to the Russian RG newspaper, Russian forces had already destroyed dozens of the US-made IFVs but their wreckage mostly remained on the battlefields and the one captured in last month was the first one that ended up in the hands of the Russian military “relatively intact.”

Russian soldiers seize American Bradleys and German Leopard (VIDEO)READ MORE Russian soldiers seize American Bradleys and German Leopard (VIDEO) It is unclear if the IFV seized in late November and the one demonstrated on the video published by Soloviev is one and the same.

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ Another exclusive from the front - the already famous captured infantry fighting vehicle on the move.

The Russian military has repeatedly published videos of captured Western-made Ukrainian equipment but those heavy armor pieces usually had their running gear or other parts visibly damaged.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in summer that captured Western weaponry, such as BFVs, would be “reverse engineered” to adopt any military technology that might be useful to Moscow. According to RG, a detailed study of the captured Bradley could help Russian engineers to improve radio electronic combat systems, making all other US-made IFVs more susceptible to them. The study of the equipment piece’s armor would also make it easier for the troops to hit them, the paper added.

Western media reported as early as July that Moscow’s forces had already knocked out around a third of all Bradley IFVs supplied to Kiev by Washington by that time.

Russian Su-34 Fighter-Bomber Annihilates Ukrainian Troops on Kupyansk Front

In a recent operation on the Kupyansk axis, the crew of the Su-34 fighter-bomber successfully eliminated a concentration of enemy ground troops.

Russian frontline aviation continues to pose a formidable threat to Ukrainian forces. Regardless of flying conditions and weather, Russian pilots persistently carry out their assigned combat missions.

On the Kupyansk front, the crew of the Su-34 strike jet decimated a concentration of enemy troops without entering the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense zone. Using fragmentation bombs equipped with a universal gliding and guidance module, the pilots effectively targeted enemy positions.

The concentration of the Ukrainian forces were successfully neutralized.

The Su-34 is a '4++'-generation strike aircraft. Its capabilities enable it to carry out the main combat tasks independently without the need for fighter cover. Its high combat qualities allow it to perform air combat maneuvers on equal terms in a dogfight with any existing enemy fighter, making it a versatile asset in modern air operations.

Human Rights Watch condemns Israeli shelling of reporters in south Lebanon as deliberate

©AP Photo/Bilal Hussein

Human Rights Watch (HRW) believes that the shelling by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops of two vehicles carrying Lebanese and foreign reporters in October was a deliberate act, Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at HRW, said in a statement.

"Two Israeli strikes on a group of Lebanese, American and Iraqi journalists in south Lebanon on October 13, 2023, were apparently deliberate attacks on civilians, which is a war crime," Kaiss said in a statement broadcast by the Al Jadeed TV channel.

According to him, the facts indicate that the Israeli military "knew or should have known that the group of people they were firing on were civilians." "This is not the first time that Israeli forces have apparently deliberately attacked journalists, with deadly and devastating results," Kaiss pointed out. "Those responsible need to be held to account, and it needs to be made clear that journalists and other civilians are not lawful targets," he said.

For her part, Aya Majzoub, deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, stressed that the seven journalists who came under Israeli fire in southern Lebanon were wearing helmets and flak jackets with the word "Press" visible on them, and one of the cars had the word "TV" on its hood. She said that an Israeli drone buzzed the film crew for more than 40 minutes before the first strike, which can be seen in the journalists' video footage.

"Israeli forces had observation towers, ground elements and air assets deployed to closely monitor the border. All of this should have provided sufficient information to Israeli forces that these were journalists and civilians and not a military target," Majzoub said.

According to the rights activists' statement, "Israel's key allies - the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany - should suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel, given the risk they will be used for grave abuses."

Laila Abdallah, aunt of Reuters’ videographer Issam Abdallah who was killed when an Israeli shell landed in a gathering of international journalists on Oct. 13, 2023, cries as she attends a press conference by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Two Israeli strikes that killed a Reuters videographer and wounded six other journalists in south Lebanon nearly two months ago were an apparent deliberate and direct attack on civilians “that must be investigated as a war crime,” two international human rights groups said Thursday. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Incident in southern Lebanon

On October 13, two vehicles carrying journalists, including photographers from several news agencies and a crew from Al Jazeera TV, came under Israeli fire in the Alma el-Chaab area in far southern Lebanon. Lebanese photographer Issam Abdallah, working for Reuters, was killed, and Al Jazeera reporter Carmen Joukhadar and photographer Elie Brakhia were wounded and taken to the hospital.

Amnesty said that the tank round, most likely an M339 projectile, was manufactured by the Israeli IMI Systems and had been identified in other Amnesty International investigations of attacks by the Israeli military.

HRW said that it had interviewed seven witnesses, including three of the wounded journalists and a representative of the U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon. The New York-based rights group also said it analyzed 49 videos and dozens of photos, in addition to satellite images, and consulted military, video, and audio experts. HRW said it sent letters with findings and questions to the Lebanese and Israeli armed forces, respectively, but didn't receive a response from them.

Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that the group has documented other cases involving Israeli forces.

“Those responsible need to be held to account, and it needs to be made clear that journalists and other civilians are not lawful targets," he said.

Elie Brakhya, a cameraman with Qatar’s Al-Jazeera TV, who was injured when an Israeli shell landed in a gathering of international journalists on Oct. 13, 2023, looks at the poster of Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah who was killed in the same shelling, as he attend a press conference by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Two Israeli strikes that killed a Reuters videographer and wounded six other journalists in south Lebanon nearly two months ago were an apparent deliberate and direct attack on civilians “that must be investigated as a war crime,” two international human rights groups said Thursday. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director, condemned the "attack on a group of international journalists who were carrying out their work by reporting on hostilities.”

“Direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks are absolutely prohibited by international humanitarian law and can amount to war crimes,” she said.

Collins, the American AFP video journalist from Boston, said that the journalists had been at the scene for more than an hour before the strikes and felt “secure.”

He said they were “on an exposed hill, visible to multiple Israeli positions, and they had drones in the air the entire time,” adding that there were "no military activities near us.”

“Our job is to tell the story, not to become the story,” Collins said.

Abdallah’s mother, Fatima, told The Associated Press that the family was sure from the first day that Israel was behind the attack. Now that there is evidence, she said, she hopes “they (Israel) will be held accountable.”

“This move is not only for Issam but for journalists to be protected in the future,” Abdallah said

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Khan Yunis And Mamluk

The Battle of Yaunis Khan, also known as the Battle of Khan Yunis, was fought on October 28, 1516 between the Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk Sultanate. The Mamluk cavalry forces led by Janbirdi al-Ghazali attacked the Ottomans that were trying to cross Gaza on their way to Egypt. The Ottomans, led by Grand Vizier Hadım Sinan Pasha, were able to break the Egyptian Mamluk cavalry charge. Al-Ghazali was wounded during the confrontation, and the left-over Mamluk forces and their commander Al-Ghazali retreated to Cairo.

Khan Younis takes its name from the Mamluk era in the 14th century when it became a stop on regional trade routes, which were dotted with khans — roadside stops where travelers could spend the night. The Barquq Castle, known locally as simply the Khan Younis Castle, was built in the Mamluk era and the surviving wall towering over the city streets continues to make an arresting first impression.

Situated in the southwest of Gaza, the modern city of Khan Younis is home to several hundred thousand people, making it the second largest urban area in the territory.

The Khan Younis Palestinian Refugee Camp is located within the governorate, just west of Khan Younis City. Notably, the famed Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf grew up in this refugee camp.

Khan Yunis , town 14 mi. (23 km.) S.W. of Gaza. This may be the town Ienisos which Herodotus lists among the Philistine towns (3:5). During the period of *Mamluk rule, Khān Yūnis served as an important market for the caravan trade between Ereẓ Israel and *Egypt. At that time the sultan Barqūq ordered an inn (khān) to be built there. There are remnants of this inn with Arabic transcriptions and architectural fragments. Almost all the population was Muslim, except for 316 Christians.

The 1931 census indicated 3,811 inhabitants in Khān Yūnis (and another 3,440 then living in its vicinity); among these were three Jews and 40 Christians. In 1944, the population figure stood at 11,220. Before 1948, Jewish institutions and private persons repeatedly attempted to buy holdings, particularly Jiftlik (i.e., lands in public ownership), but legal difficulties precluded the final transfer.

In 1948, the town was in the Gaza Strip, which remained under Egyptian rule.

It was briefly in Israeli hands after the Sinai Campaign in 1956 and again from the Six-Day War of 1967.

In 1994 it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the *Palestinian Authority. Its economy was based almost exclusively on farming (citrus groves, date palms, other fruits, vegetables, and irrigated and unirrigated field crops).

In 1967 its population was 52,997 inhabitants, nearly half (23,475) living in refugee camps.

By 1997 its population had reached 123,056, nearly two-thirds of whom were refugees. A stronghold of the Hamas terrorist organization, Khān Yūnis was hit by Israeli forces during the al-Aqsa Intifada (see *Israel, State of: Historical Survey) and buildings have been leveled after being unilaterally claimed by Israel as shelters for terrorists shelling Israeli settlements.

Khan Younis, located in southwest Palestine, is the second largest city of the Gaza Strip next to Gaza City. It is 25 kilometers south of Gaza, 20 kilometers north of the Egyptian borders, and 4 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea.

The city’s name is formed of two words – Khan meaning hostel and Younis, which refers to Prince Younis Dawadar who built a garrison in 1387 for soldiers guarding travelers and pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and Mecca. The town square is bordered by this impressive historic fortress that dominates the view.

In the old times, the city functioned as a station for commercial caravans. It gained special significance for its strategic location connecting the Nile Valley to the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula.

The city dates back to the Mamluk era, where Barquq Castle was built in its center in 1387 AD. It was also a rest for merchants coming from the Levant to Egypt and vice versa serving the southern region. Currently, it is the largest city in the Gaza Strip Palestine by area, and the second largest city in terms of population.

The agricultural sector is considered one of the leading basic sectors in Khan Yunis. According to the latest available data the total production constituted 27.2% of the total agricultural sector production in the Gaza Strip, and thus it occupies the first place of value production. The city is also a commercial center attracting residents flocks from all over the Gaza Strip.

The people of Khan Yunis suffer from a significant lack of basic services to help them to develop their city’s standard of living. The city suffers from a significant lack of electricity supply, poor waste water systems and poor road infrastructure, which have a negative impact on the population’s ability to move and work, as well as on their health, which in turn has a negative impact on economic growth

Therefore, the establishment and support of electrical supply, agricultural, industrial, tourism and animal production projects will create opportunities and reduce the unemployment rate that has reached more than 41%.

Khan Younis is confronting a current expansion in temperature over the ordinary normal temperature that left its effects on agriculture, where Khan Younis is described by having a fruitful soil. In addition to that extraordinary precipitation during winter season that has induced annual floods, leaving its effect of agricultural crops, underground water and roads.