Following Israel Hayom's revelation about the planned "Nakba Week" at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem starting Monday, the "Dror" student group affiliated with the Religious Zionism party sent a strongly worded letter Sunday evening to University President Professor Asher Cohen and University Rector Professor Tamir Shefer. The letter demanded they prohibit all "Nakba Week" events from taking place on campus. According to students enrolled at the Hebrew University, this letter marks the first sign of organized resistance that is expected to intensify significantly in the coming days.
The student group began their letter by referencing various social media posts shared throughout Sunday that invited university students to participate in what was described as an enrichment week. They continued, "According to the publication in Israel Hayom, student groups at the university will hold a 'Memorial Week commemorating the Nakba,' scheduled to continue until Saturday and featuring multiple events under the heading 'Ongoing Genocide.' Unfortunately, this is not the first time such inflammatory events have been permitted on campus."
"We, members of the 'Dror' student group, are approaching you with an unambiguous demand to cancel this provocative week planned to take place within the university grounds," they emphasized. "This event, featuring one-sided political messages, contradicts the spirit of unity in the State of Israel. While we certainly respect freedom of expression, freedom of expression does not extend to freedom to incite."
In their continued statement, the group members added pointed criticism regarding the university administration's handling of the issue, which, as of Sunday evening, had not issued any public response on the matter. "Academia is intended to be a place for research and the deepening of knowledge, not an arena for disseminating one-sided political propaganda. Introducing divisive political messages to campus disrupts learning, creates tension between students, and undermines the sense of security for many of us. Moreover, this represents a deliberate attempt to damage the spirit of the IDF through accusations such as 'genocide' and similar inflammatory rhetoric."
"Given these circumstances," they concluded, "we demand the immediate cancellation of this inflammatory week and action to maintain a campus environment free from incitement." In a conversation with Israel Hayom, one student revealed that the letter serves as just the beginning of a series of planned actions that a coalition of students intends to organize across campus in response to the controversial event. Among these planned actions is a sustained counter-protest throughout the coming week, during which opponents will demand that university authorities prohibit the various scheduled events, representing a direct continuation of the concerns outlined in their letter to the institution's senior leadership.
