Around 20 mostly Israeli-Arab students from Tel-Hai Academic College in northern Israel sparked controversy on Tuesday when they observed a moment of silence honoring the Palestinian protesters and Hamas operatives killed in clashes on the Gaza Strip-Israel border Monday.
"We stood in silence to honor the 58 people who were killed in Gaza," said one Arab student. "It doesn't matter what the reasons were for their killings. We stood in memory of human life, which is the highest value."
Coral Zvulun, the head of right-wing organization Im Tirtzu's Tel-Hai branch, said the group was outraged.
"We were unwilling to remain silent over this, so we sang and chanted 'am Israel hai' ['the nation of Israel lives'] until the college shut down the event."
Also on Tuesday, an Arab-Israeli senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University canceled her law and history class over what she dubbed the "massacre" in Gaza.
Associate Professor Dr. Lena Salaymeh, of the Buchman Faculty of Law, sent an email in English to her students notifying them that "out of respect for the Palestinians who were massacred in Gaza yesterday [Monday], I am honoring the call for a general strike tomorrow [Tuesday]: Classes and office hours are canceled."
According to her students, Salaymeh refuses to teach in Hebrew.
Tel Aviv University issued a statement saying, "Dr. Salaymeh's actions do not reflect the university's position in any way. The matter will be reviewed."
