2024-04-27 07:33:41
Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday called on the Biden administration to take action as pro-Palestinian demonstrations engulf American university campuses.
Lapid’s call comes amid a series of large demonstrations on college campuses from California to Massachusetts over the past week. Some of the protests included calls for violence and harassment of Jewish students. On many campuses, protesters set up unauthorized tents to press their demands, most notably at Columbia University in New York.
“What is happening on American college campuses is unforgivable,” Lapid wrote on Twitter. “It is anti-Semitism, it is support for terrorism, it is support for Hamas, which kills LGBT people and oppresses women.”
“The administration cannot stand by, it must intervene,” he added.
The White House said Tuesday it was closely monitoring the situation on college campuses, noting that people have the right to publicly protest but not physical intimidation or incitement to violence.
“When we see disgusting, dangerous anti-Semitic speech, we will speak out against it in very clear terms,” White House press secretary Andrew Bates told reporters aboard Air Force One during President Joe Biden’s trip to Florida.
Bates said the U.S. Department of Education has an “important role” to play in combating anti-Semitic protests.
Cursor previously wrote that a pro-Palestinian protester attacked a Hollywood star in a cafe.