By: Joe Fisher
Nov. 10 (UPI) The Israel-Hamas war has provoked large-scale divisions on U.S. college campuses, where students lining up behind Israel and Palestine call on their universities for support of their views and in some cases to condemn the other side.
Dueling demonstrations have veered into accusations of hate speech, with students on both sides saying they feel unsupported, or even unsafe walking around campus.
The situation has left administrators walking a fine line between maintaining the academic freedom of giving space to diverse viewpoints and keeping students from harm, while facing public pressure to stake a position.
Scholars say universities risk their moral authority when they take sides, as some have learned since the war started with Hamas' invasion of Israel on Oct. 7.
"Universities should just stay quiet and as neutral as possible," Steve Sanders, associate dean of academic affairs at Indiana University, told UPI. "Faculty and scholars – those are the people who can stay engaged."
Indiana faculty have worked to emphasize the humanity of the situation.
"We are conditioned to think in tribal terms. A much more healthy way to look at this is from a humanistic perspective," said Abdulkader Sinno, an associate professor of political science who is of Muslim heritage. "Those who see the humanity in each other come from all groups. They are natural allies of each other."
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/11/10/college-campus-israel-palestine-debate-indiana-cornell/4431699565767/