Religious-Zionist students at Hebrew University demand cancellation of ‘Nakba Week,’ warning it promotes incitement and undermines national unity.
The battle over Israel’s academic spaces continues: Students from the Dror religious Zionist organization at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have issued a sharp protest to the university leadership, demanding that it immediately cancel events marking “Nakba Week,” which is slated to begin today (Monday) on campus.
The letter, addressed to University President Prof. Asher Cohen and Rector Prof. Tamir Shefer, expresses outrage at the university’s approval of events the students describe as incitement against the State of Israel and the IDF.
“We were shocked to see the recent announcements regarding the commemoration of ‘Nakba Week’ at the Hebrew University,” the students wrote. “Promotional posts circulated on social media read: ‘The Palestinian movements at the Hebrew University invite you to participate in Nakba Week activities… In light of the ongoing genocide and displacement, we believe in the importance of remembering our right to exist. Be part of the collective voice that rejects the forgetting and genocide of our people.’ Unfortunately, this is not the first time such inflammatory rhetoric has been allowed on campus.”
Dror demanded a halt to what they described as blatant political incitement cloaked in the guise of free expression. “This event, with its unilateral and hostile messages, runs contrary to the spirit of unity in Israeli society,” they wrote. “While freedom of expression is a core value, it does not include freedom to incite. The university should be a center of research and knowledge, not a platform for anti-Israel propaganda. These events disrupt the academic environment, provoke unnecessary tensions among students, and harm our sense of safety on campus.”
The students further invoked Article 103 of the Israeli Penal Code, which states that anyone who spreads harmful information during wartime with the intent to lower public morale or harm national security is liable to imprisonment. “Events like these aim to damage the spirit of IDF soldiers and citizens by making false claims such as ‘genocide,’” they added. “We demand the immediate cancellation of this incitement week and call on the administration to protect the campus space from such divisive and dangerous activity.”
