President of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Professor Asher Cohen, and University Rector, Tamir Sheafer, sent a letter today to all faculty members and students to delineate the limits of freedom of expression for faculty members and students at the university.
"Showing support for the heinous massacre destroys the foundations on which a human society is founded. It expresses disdain for human life and seriously damages the dignity of each and every member of the academic community. It also exceeds what is allowed by law."
The letter, published in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, also called "to avoid generalizations that attribute negative qualities or wrongful actions to people based on group characteristics, such as religion, nationality, gender, etc."
The letter was sent following unacceptable statements made by students and faculty members in several academic institutions around Israel, who expressed support on social media for the October 7th massacre, like that of Dr. Abu Amna, who, at the outbreak of the war, published a post saying, "There is no winner, but Allah.”
According to Adalah, more than 80 Arab students have been suspended from their studies because of suspicions of supporting or identifying with Hamas since the beginning of the war. Ben Gurion University, University of Haifa, Bezalel College, and Tel Aviv University announced a few days ago that they would suspend any student who expresses support for the terrorist organization.