NORFOLK, Va. — In a newly penned letter addressed to College and University Presidents in Virginia, Attorney General Jason Miyares told school leaders that “our universities should do more to address anti-Semitism.”
The letter, dated Thursday, comes about a month after the start of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The document accuses university leaders of "standing silent" in response to chants heard at pro-Palestine rallies and demonstrations on college campuses.
He argued that the chant, "'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' is a call for the complete destruction of Israel," adding that rhetoric "inciting or producing lawless action” does not fall within free speech protections under the First Amendment.
“I’m certainly in sympathy with what the Attorney General is saying," Rabbi Michael Panitz said, of Temple Israel in Norfolk.
"It sounds sweet and alliterative, but it means there is no room for a Jewish state in our [Hamas'] House of Islam.”
“Very disappointed in the letter," Zainab Al-Dhahi said, who runs an advocacy site called "VA Free Palestine."
“It talks about our chants 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,' it’s not trying to say ‘Get rid of the other side.’ It’s about protecting our people," Al-Dhahi told 13News Now at a peaceful Palestine demonstration in Norfolk.
Miyares ended the note by questioning the quickness in which college presidents condemned the "Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, compared to the quote “deafening silence” for the most recent Palestine rallies on collegiate campuses.
"These slogans and chants mostly have been met with silence from university leaders, a silence both agitators and the most vulnerable have noticed," he wrote.
On the same day as Miyares' letter, Virginia Tech President Tim Sands wrote an open statement ahead of the Thanksgiving break, saying quote:
"...I am proud of our university community for its stand against antisemitism and Islamophobia. I appreciate those who have chosen to peacefully assemble and express their views. As a university we will support academic freedom and free expression, even when expressed positions are hurtful to members of our community. We also will continue to condemn terrorism, genocide, targeting of civilians, taking of hostages, and the elimination of the right to practice one’s religion."