Northwestern University administrators and faculty members recently signed a resolution calling Israel a “terror” state and demanding the school boycott the country.
The resolution, obtained by The Washington Free Beacon, comes just a week after the university caved to anti-Israel protesters, including funding for full-ride scholarships and two faculty positions for Palestinians.
“After months of tightening what has — for the last 76 years — been a brutal and insufferable occupation, Israel is leading a multifront war on the people of Palestine that can only be described as ethnic cleansing and genocide,” the resolution says.
“Despite the immense loss of life and all that sustains it, US diplomatic, military, and top academic institutions have chosen to stand firmly on the side of terror,” the statement added. “Northwestern is no exception.”
The resolution also blasted Northwestern for creating an Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and a Committee on Free Expression aimed at addressing anti-Semitism on campus, the Free Beacon reported.
“Between establishing bodies to police our tone, arresting students for exercising their rights, and openly calling for the silencing of pro-Palestinian voices, it is clear that our institution’s singular response has been one of censorship of any and all voices deemed uncomfortable or challenging to the status quo,” the resolution said.
One of the signatories was Liv Harmening, the outreach and education coordinator for Northwestern’s Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, leading to questions as to whether a Jewish student could receive fair treatment in a campus disciplinary proceeding.
A spokesman for the university told the outlet that Northwestern “has no tolerance for discrimination or harassment. We are reviewing the document. To be clear, Northwestern has not committed to divestment from Israel.”
While the spokesman dismissed the resolution, it follows the concessions Northwestern made to anti-Israel demonstrators just one week earlier.
In a document released at the time, the university promised to “provide immediate temporary space for [Middle East and North Africa] MENA/Muslim students.” Following that, Northwestern said it plans to provide and renovate a house for these students “as soon as practicably possible” after it finishes its current renovation project, slated for completion in 2026.
And while the university did not say it would divest from Israeli companies, it did say it would re-establish its Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility, allowing students, faculty, and staff a say in how the school invests its endowment, opening a door for those who want to divest from Israel.
Two lawsuits were filed against Northwestern following the agreement, one alleging that the scholarships and faculty positions violated federal civil rights law, and the other filed by three students alleging the university enabled the harassment of Jewish students.
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