Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv UniversityiStock

Tel-Aviv University's Faculty of Humanities has decided to ban the singing of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikva, during its graduation ceremony last week.

According to a report by Channel 10 News, Professor Leo Corry, the new Dean of the Humanities Faculty at Tel Aviv University, ordered that the anthem be dropped from the ceremony "out of consideration of the feelings of Arab students."

In place of Hatikva, the ceremony concluded with a performance of Israel singer Arik Einstein's hit song, 'Me and You.'

Several humanities students expressed outrage that the national anthem was banned from the graduation ceremony.

Niv Nabha, a second-year student, said: "As a student studying in the Humanities Faculty, I am ashamed by the university's actions but am not surprised. This is merely another episode of the university's continuous and unjust capitulation to the Arab student population."

Sapir Yadid, a third year student, said: "Hatikvah is the national anthem of both Jewish and Arab citizens living in Israel. The university's premise that it is only exclusive to Jews only widens the gap between us. Whoever is unhappy about our anthem is welcome to study elsewhere."

The Im Tirtzu movement condemned the move. CEO Matan Peleg said: "This decision is the height of servility and absurdity, but is unfortunately not surprising. This is a logical outcome in a university that allows inciting protests calling for violence on its grounds, and that fails to discipline a professor who cancels class out of solidarity with Hamas terrorists in Gaza."

"The writing is on the wall and we cannot ignore it," added Peleg.