Call for Temporary Campus Closures Amid Anti-Israel Unrest and Violence Threats against Jews on US Colleges

Fox News correspondent Steve Harrigan reported on the growing calls for schools with anti-Israel unrest to temporarily shut down in order to ensure student safety amidst explicit threats of violence against Jews. The End Jew Hatred movement’s Brooke Goldstein urged that American colleges should padlock their campuses and arrest all trespassers until a plan is put in place to temper the aggression of radical protesters, citing instances where students called for “death” or “discomfort” against Zionists. The Anti-Defamation League also sent letters urging immediate action from University of Michigan President Santa Ono regarding comments made by Salma Hamamy, who leads a Palestinian advocacy group and calls for the death of Jews in her posts on social media platforms. Despite threats, schools continue to take an accommodating approach towards encampments, with Columbia student Khymani James apologizing after declaring “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” Some experts suggested enforcing existing rules or deploying National Guard troops as a necessary and appropriate response in order to maintain public safety.