A petition signed by over 150 faculty members at Bar-Ilan University criticizing the conduct of IDF soldiers in Gaza has sparked a strong backlash within the academic community. The letter, which accused Israeli forces of using excessive force "out of a desire for revenge" and called for an immediate halt to the fighting, has stirred significant controversy.
In response, approximately 150 other professors and faculty members from the same university issued a counter-statement on Tuesday, expressing support for the IDF and rejecting the original petition's claims. They described allegations of deliberate starvation of Gaza residents as part of a "cynical campaign" and accused the initial signatories of "falling into the propaganda trap of Hamas."
"We, members of the faculty, support the IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip," the statement read. The signatories argued that soldiers are facing an "impossible reality" in which Hamas uses civilians as human shields and that the IDF goes to great lengths to minimize harm to non-combatants — more so, they claimed, than other Western militaries have done in comparable situations.
The counter-petition also accused Hamas of deliberately worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza for strategic purposes. "Hamas is deliberately starving our abducted citizens to exert pressure, while simultaneously using the humanitarian crisis it created to falsely accuse Israel and the IDF of war crimes," the signatories wrote.
They urged their colleagues and the public to critically assess information coming from Gaza and to avoid echoing messages that, they say, serve Hamas's interests. "Condemning our soldiers — who are our children, students, and colleagues — plays into the hands of Hamas and decreases the chances of bringing our abducted citizens home," the statement concluded.
The organizers of the counter-petition emphasized that their message reflects widely held views in Israeli society. "The principles we expressed are self-evident," they said. "We believe the vast majority of the Israeli public supports them. Our decision to publish this petition was driven by recent statements, including a troubling petition by fellow Bar-Ilan faculty, which we believe damages morale among IDF troops and emboldens Hamas."