The Israel-Gaza Conflict: Unraveling Campus Discourse and Escalating Tensions

Political debates and protests have always been a source of turmoil on college campuses, covering a wide range of topics. However, the ongoing debate surrounding the Israel-Gaza war holds an exceptional level of emotional tension. According to experts who specialize in college campus speech, this is because it is connected to a much larger historical context. The strong backlash against individuals expressing their protected free speech demonstrates that what occurs on campus often has repercussions beyond its borders. Michelle Deutchman, the executive director of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, explained that the controversy surrounding this topic is primarily due to the long-standing conflict and the intense passions it ignites on both sides.

Columbia University students participate in a rally in support of Palestinians at the university on October 12 in New York City.

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A gate stands in front of Harvard Yard on the closed Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., on Monday, April 20, 2020.

"Hard-fought arguments and debates about the limits of freedom of speech are not uncommon on campuses," stated Fansmith, the senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, during an interview with CNN. He believes that higher education institutions should be places where individuals are exposed to new ideas and have the opportunity to challenge differing viewpoints.

Eboo Patel, the founder of Interfaith America, a nonprofit organization that promotes unity amidst religious differences and collaborates with over 600 university campuses, believes that university administrators aspire to maintain a culture of cooperation on their campuses, regardless of external influences.

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Harvard and UPenn donors revolt

The Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups, representing the undersigned student organizations, firmly place the blame for the ongoing violence on the Israeli regime. According to their statement, millions of Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a life confined within the boundaries of an open-air prison. Their plea to Harvard is urgent: take immediate action to halt the relentless annihilation of Palestinians.

Former Harvard president Larry Summers expressed his feelings of being disconnected from his alma mater due to its initial silence in response to Hamas attacks and the student groups' statement. Summers, who had been associated with Harvard for almost five decades, shared his profound disappointment and disconnection through a series of posts on X.

Gay subsequently issued a follow-up statement after two days, recognizing the "highly unstable circumstances prevailing on our campus." She emphasized that the university firmly disavows terrorism, abhors hatred, and condemns any form of mistreatment or coercion targeting individuals on account of their convictions.

The funeral of Ofir Libstein, former head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council who tragically lost his life during the attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was held in Even Yehuda, Israel, on October 18. Friends and relatives gathered to mourn his loss.

A woman mourns over a dead man at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday, October 18.

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In Tel Aviv on October 18, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with other Israeli officials, were joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US President Joe Biden as they awaited the commencement of the Israeli war cabinet meeting.

The aftermath of a fatal explosion at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on October 18 is captured in a photograph. Palestinian officials have attributed the incident to continuous Israeli airstrikes, whereas a representative from the Israel Defense Forces has claimed that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad group is accountable for the event, referring to it as a "failed rocket launch" that impacted the hospital.

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A bakery prepares rations of bread to pass out to displaced Palestinians in the Rafah refugee camp, in southern Gaza, on October 17.

During a funeral in Gan-Yavne, Israel on October 17, individuals gathered to lay wreaths in remembrance of the Israeli Kutz family. Tragically, the family of five was brutally slain in their own residence by Palestinian militants who had concealed their presence within the Israeli Kibbutz of Kfar Aza the previous week.

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People hold Israeli flags as friends and family mourn Dor Reder at his funeral in Beit Kama, southern Israel, on October 16.

Palestinians carry a person wounded in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday, October 16.

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In Kfar Saba, Israel, at Pardes Haim cemetery, Antonio Macías' mother grieves as she clings onto her son's lifeless body. This heart-wrenching scene took place on October 15, after Macías was tragically murdered by Hamas at an Israeli music festival earlier this month.

Palestinians collect water from a tap on October 15 after Israel blocked supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel to Gaza.

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Palestinians rescue a wounded man from the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 13.

Israeli artillery fires on the Israel-Gaza border on October 13.

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Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Abraham Cohen at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Thursday, October 12.

Israeli soldiers patrol near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.

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An Israeli military helicopter flies near the border between Gaza and Sderot, Israel, on October 12.

A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12.

Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12.

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An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11.

An aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City on October 11.

Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11.

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Bullet holes mar a cracked window at the entrance of a kindergarten in Be'eri, Israel, on October 11th. This educational facility, located near the Gaza Strip, became an early target for Hamas militants on October 7th.

At a cemetery in Modiin Maccabim, Israel, on October 11, Itzik and Miriam Shafir can be seen in the center, grieving over the loss of their son. Dor Shafir and his girlfriend, Savion Kiper, tragically lost their lives during Hamas' attack on a music festival this past Saturday.

A boy carries salvaged belongings from the wreckage of his family's home in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

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Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on October 10.

Israeli soldiers take position in Kfar Aza near the border with Gaza on October 10.

Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10.

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Israelis in Ashkelon take cover in a shelter as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets on October 10.

Israelis mourn as they attend the funeral of Israel Defense Forces soldier Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem, on October 10.

A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9.

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A photo from a wedding is seen on the ground of a building in Ashkelon that was hit by rockets from Gaza on October 9.

The ruins of the Yassin mosque are seen in the Shati refugee camp just outside Gaza City on October 9.

Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9.

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Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.

A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.

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Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9.

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A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.

The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.

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An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

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Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8.

A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.

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An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.

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Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on October 8.

Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

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Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.

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Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7.

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7.

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Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.

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Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.

Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

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Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.

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Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.

An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7.

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Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on October 7.

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Additionally, a conservative nonprofit recently deployed a mobile billboard, commonly referred to as a "doxxing truck," which traversed the vicinity of Harvard campus, exhibiting the names and photographs of students affiliated with organizations that supported the statement denouncing Israel. As per the Harvard Crimson student newspaper, it has come to light that as of Tuesday, a minimum of 10 out of the original 34 groups that initially endorsed the statement have retracted their support.

UPenn is facing a crisis due to allegations of antisemitism, as both Jon Huntsman, a donor, and a board member have decided to discontinue their support. Following this, UPenn President Liz Magill acknowledged that the previous statement regarding the festival was inadequate.

David Magerman, a venture capitalist, also terminated his support to the university due to feeling a profound sense of shame in being associated with UPenn. Additionally, Jon Huntsman, an alumnus of UPenn and former US Ambassador, strongly criticized the university.

Several students and faculty members from different universities have experienced personal repercussions due to their viewpoints.

New York University has witnessed significant backlash following a statement made by the president of the NYU Student Bar Association, attributing the colossal loss of life to Israel and holding them entirely responsible.

In a statement issued on Monday, Ryna Workman, the student, acknowledged the criticism and clarified that her intention was to show support for the Palestinian people, not to ignore the difficulties faced by Israelis during times of crisis.

An instructor at Stanford University has been suspended from teaching while the school investigates allegations that they minimized the significance of the Holocaust and unfairly targeted students based on their backgrounds and identities during a discussion on the conflict.

Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media features a Cornell professor expressing his condemnation of violence and the targeting of civilians. However, he admitted to feeling a temporary sense of excitement by the Hamas attacks on Israel, which he interpreted as a shift in the balance of power.

Rickford did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment. In a statement given to The Cornell Daily Sun on Tuesday, he clarified that his remarks were regarding the initial hours when Hamas breached the apartheid wall. He stated that during that time, it appeared as a symbol of resistance and marked a new phase in the struggle of Palestinians.

Following the incident, Emory University placed Dr. Abeer AbouYabis, an assistant professor, on leave after she made what the college termed as "antisemitic comments" on social media. When contacted by phone on Wednesday morning, Dr. Abeer AbouYabis chose not to provide any further statements.

The university issued a statement on Tuesday acknowledging the recent antisemitic remarks made by one of our assistant professors on a personal social media account. In the statement, we strongly denounce these comments and have taken swift action by placing the individual on administrative leave while we conduct an internal investigation. This report includes contributions from CNN journalists Matt Egan, Nicki Brown, Nick Valencia, and Jessica Xing.