Law professors at Northwestern University have expressed their support for condemning the recent Hamas attacks in a letter that has garnered attention within the academic community. The organizers of the letter are credited for their efforts to rally support among law professors, a group known for their self-centered attitudes. Professor Kate Litvak, one of the signatories, submitted the letter to the Northwestern University student newspaper, which unfortunately chose not to publish it.
Instead, a letter penned by nine arts and science professors who identified themselves as "scholars of the Middle East and North Africa" was published in the newspaper. Interestingly, the authors of the latter letter struggled to find many experts on MENA to endorse their perspective.
Out of the nine signatories, only two are art professors, while one is an English professor. Consequently, the Northwestern letter was not republished, given the editorial decision of the school newspaper. Some faculty declined to sign the letter due to concerns that it was not strongly pro-Israel and anti-Hamas enough.
On Saturday, October 7, Hamas terrorists committed a horrific act of violence that resulted in the deadliest mass murder of Jewish people since the Holocaust. The attack claimed the lives of over 1300 innocent civilians from various nationalities, including at least 20 Americans.
Among the victims were many children. When looking at the population-adjusted numbers, this tragedy would be equivalent to approximately 45,000 deaths in the U.S.
or fifteen 9/11 attacks in a single day.
During this attack, participants at a music festival were ruthlessly shot, homes were invaded, and explosives were utilized to ensure no survivors. The motive behind these acts was solely to murder as many Israeli civilians as possible, without any military objectives.
Videos of these barbaric acts were uploaded by the terrorists, who also abducted over 100 hostages and transported them to Gaza. Tragically, two women from Evanston were among those taken.
The events that transpired have left a profound impact on a multitude of students and faculty in the Northwestern Pritzker community, regardless of their faith or background.
At our partner institution, Tel Aviv University, 18 students lost their lives in this senseless act of violence.
As faculty members who are committed to upholding the rule of law, we want to emphasize our unwavering condemnation of Hamas's acts of terrorism. These horrendous actions only serve to hinder the pursuit of a fair and just peace that respects the human rights of all communities.
There have been allegations suggesting that Israel should be held responsible for the atrocities committed by Hamas.
It is crucial to recognize that what Hamas perpetrated was unspeakably evil. Blaming the victims for these heinous attacks is dehumanizing and goes against our principles.
We categorically reject any acceptance or endorsement of terrorism.
