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Published December 10, 2023, 2:03 pm ET
George Washington University's medical school hosted a faculty panel last week that declared Hamas terrorists had a “right to resist” Israel, according to video footage exclusively obtained by The Post.
The Dec. 4 discussion was titled “Understanding the Conflict in Israel and Palestine” and was sponsored by the School of Medicine and Health Sciences Anti-Racism Coalition and the Institute for Middle East Studies.
Panelists described the Jewish state's military operation in the Gaza Strip as “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide,” but did not address the atrocities committed by Hamas in its attack on southern Israel on October 7, nor its designation as a foreign terrorist organization on what it is More than 100 Israeli and US civilians are still being held hostage.
“Israel can rightly claim self-defense, but I would also like to point out that Hamas and the Palestinians also have a right to resist,” said Michael Barnett, professor of international affairs and political science, during the panel discussion.
“The events of October 7 shocked us all,” added Shira Robinson, professor of history and international affairs. “But we all recognize that these events have a history.”
George Washington University's medical school hosted a faculty panel last Monday that declared Hamas terrorists have a “right to resist” Israel. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Panelists failed to acknowledge Hamas's atrocities committed on October 7, its designation as a foreign terrorist organization, or the fact that it still holds more than 100 Israeli and U.S. civilians hostage describe. Getty Images
The Hamas attack ended a ceasefire reached after a conflict in May 2021 in which Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel over 11 days before a peace was negotiated.
Israeli officials estimate that about 1,200 people were killed in the Oct. 7 attack, including 33 U.S. citizens. Jihadists also took about 240 civilians hostage, including about 10 Americans – one of whom, four-year-old Abigail Edan, was released last month.
Israel responded by declaring war on the terror group, carrying out airstrikes and launching a full-scale ground assault in Gaza in a large-scale attempt to “destroy Hamas,” according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At least one GWU panelist affirmed the Jewish state's right to self-defense, but several characterized the Israel Defense Forces' actions as part of a larger “colonial” project to ultimately annihilate Gaza's civilian population.
On October 7, Hamas invaded the Jewish state to brutalize, maim, rape and kill Israelis, mostly civilians. This surprise invasion killed more than 1,200 people – including 33 US citizens. via Portal
“Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign in the Strip, which, as we now know, has targeted high-rise apartment buildings, bakeries, schools, universities and UN housing over the last eight weeks,” Robinson said during the panel.
Hamas is known to use civilians in the region as human shields, putting them in harm's way by conducting operations and stockpiling weapons in hospitals, schools and mosques – another reality the panel has never acknowledged.
A senior IDF official noted last week that for every Hamas terrorist dead, about two civilians were killed in the war, confirming reports that about 5,000 terrorists and 10,000 civilians died in the fighting.
The IDF spokesman noted that this ratio was “unprecedented in the modern history of urban warfare,” as the Gaza Strip has one of the highest population densities in the world.
Israel responded by declaring war on the terror group, conducting airstrikes and eventually launching a full-scale ground assault in Gaza in a large-scale attempt to “destroy Hamas.” Anadolu via Getty Images A senior IDF official noted that about two civilians were killed for every Hamas terrorist dead in the war, confirming that 5,000 terrorists and 10,000 civilians died. Anadolu via Getty Images
Several concerned students and faculty attempted to ask questions about the panel's presentation but were ignored – some were also insulted by anonymous users in the chat box during the Zoom meeting.
Jewish students at the medical school were particularly appalled by the panel discussion, telling The Post that it only contributed to the spread of anti-Semitism on campus, which exploded after the Hamas terror attack.
Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Yolanda Haywood apologized to the medical school community after the panel discussion, but did not mention Jewish students or denounce anti-Semitism in her impact statement.
“The primary goal was to provide an experience that encourages thoughtful reflection and encourages broader, open communication,” Haywood’s statement said. “As the webinar progressed, it became clear that this program did not provide a balanced presentation on this extremely controversial and difficult topic.”
According to the AMCHA Initiative, at least 17 anti-Semitic incidents have occurred on campus this year, including recent defenses of Hamas by the school's Students for Justice in Palestine division. provided
Jewish students who spoke to The Post emphasized that the statement was part of a pattern of “general corporate apologies” by administrators who “failed to take actionable steps to make their Jewish students feel safe on campus.”
“As a medical student at GW, I now feel alone and afraid of the future of healthcare,” said one. “I am amazed at how a medical school and its students, who dedicate their careers to preserving life, have remained silent since October 7.”
“Many of my fellow students who are passionate about women’s health do not care about the rape, mutilation and desecration of female bodies when they are Jewish women,” the same student added. “My Jewish friends and I stood with our classmates to strengthen the #MeToo movement, abortion rights, and Black Lives Matter. Their silence is deafening right now.
“I feel more empowered than ever to become a doctor so I can use my voice to advocate for Jewish patients, because clearly many of my classmates have no desire to do the same.”
Students projected anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas messages onto the side of a library building on the Washington, D.C. campus and chanted “Glory to our martyrs” following the Hamas attack. provided
Another student pointed out that “in Israel, when medical professionals arrive at the scene of a terrorist attack, the worst treatment is for the injured person.”
“Often it is the terrorists themselves,” said the Jewish student. “This is because the preservation of human life is our top priority. I thought that was what it meant to be a doctor, but some of my colleagues obviously don’t think that way.”
A 2016 report from Brandeis University found that George Washington University has the fourth-largest Jewish student body of any private university in the U.S. — but still experiences high rates of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hostility on campus.
According to the AMCHA Initiative, at least 17 anti-Semitic incidents have occurred on campus this year, including recent defenses of Hamas terrorism by the school's Students for Justice in Palestine division.
In late October, students projected anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas messages onto the side of a library building, including “Glory to our martyrs” and “Liberate Palestine from the river to the sea,” widely understood as a call to exterminate Israel.
The U.S. Department of Education is also investigating a civil rights discrimination complaint against a George Washington psychology professor who allegedly harassed Jewish students with anti-Semitic comments during a required diversity course and then retaliated against them for reporting them to administrators.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) wrote to GWU President Ellen Granberg in October, calling on her to “take immediate disciplinary action against those who projected anti-Semitic messages on campus buildings.”
“Jewish students do not feel safe on their own campus, and I am appalled that university presidents and administrators, including at GW, continue to vigorously condemn Hamas terror and the vile speech of student groups,” Gottheimer said at the time.
George Washington University has the fourth-largest Jewish student population of any private university in the United States, but still experiences high rates of anti-Semitism on campus. The Washington Post via Getty Images
“They not only have a responsibility, but also an obligation, to protect all students, including Jewish students, and to ensure that they can safely remain part of the campus community.”
“GW has repeatedly condemned Hamas and its horrific terrorist attack on Israel on October 7,” a university spokesperson told The Post on Sunday.
“While faculty and students at GW have the right to freely express their own views, they do not speak on behalf of the university. Most issues, including this one, are the subject of different events from different perspectives, and many events and discussions do not reflect all sides of each issue – and cannot be expected to.”
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