{"id":137183,"date":"2023-11-13T00:02:21","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T05:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=137183"},"modified":"2023-11-13T10:11:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T15:11:21","slug":"college-students-professors-call-on-university-to-condemn-israels-war-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/college-students-professors-call-on-university-to-condemn-israels-war-crimes\/","title":{"rendered":"Dozens of students, professors demand Duquesne U. denounce Israel ‘war crime’"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Whoever wrote the student letter simply does not understand the rules of law,’ legal expert said<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Students and faculty at a Pennsylvania Catholic university called on their administration to condemn Israel\u2019s war actions against Hamas as extremist and illegal.<\/p>\n

The petition<\/a>, which includes dozens of signatures, asked Duquesne University President Ken Gormley to \u201cdenounce the violence being carried out against Palestinians in Gaza with the same force with which he rightly condemned Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The professors and students told President Gormley to \u201ccondemn\u201d the \u201cextremism and the violence carried out in the name of extremist ideologies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe it is reckless to convey grief and empathy with only the victims in Israel, while remaining silent as thousands of Palestinian civilians, including over one thousand children, are murdered by Israel\u2019s indiscriminate bombing,\u201d according to the letter.<\/p>\n

\u201cArticle 33 of the Fourth Geneva convention unequivocally prohibits collective punishment of persons for crimes they haven\u2019t committed,\u201d the letter stated. \u201cAt this point it is clear that Israel is blatantly violating it and that Israel\u2019s actions constitute a war crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

The author of this article, a student at Duquesne\u2019s Thomas R. Kline School of Law, received the letter Oct. 20 via an internal university messaging system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are sending a final call for signatures on a letter to President Gormley and the Duquesne administration,\u201d the message sent with the letter stated. \u201cWe emphasize that this letter calls for equity in the university\u2019s acknowledgement of the ongoing suffering and loss of life in the current conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n

The College Fix<\/em> reached out to President Gormley\u2019s office via email Nov. 3 to ask whether the president\u2019s office has issued or planned to issue a statement in response to the letter. Vice President of Communications Gabriel Welsch responded with a copy of an email he sent in response to the letter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate that you have thoughtfully and respectfully shared your views,\u201d Welsch had written to students and faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou already know about the President\u2019s statement to the campus community dated October 10,\u201d Welsch wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince that time, we posted a second message to the University\u2019s website,\u201d he wrote, including a link to a statement<\/a> regarding the conflict on the university\u2019s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second statement makes clear our concern for the tragic loss of innocent life\u2014whether Israeli, Palestinian, American or others\u2014in Israel and Gaza,\u201d Welsch wrote. \u201cWe are indeed keenly aware of the atrocities that impact so many people in the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n

The university did not respond to a Nov. 3 request from The Fix<\/em> to clarify its position on whether Israel has committed atrocities in its war against Hamas.
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\nIsrael must balance legitimate military objectives with the unintended loss of life, legal scholar said<\/strong><\/p>\n

A senior lecturer at Emory Law School and special counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice told The Fix<\/em> via email that \u201cwhoever wrote the student letter simply does not understand the rules of law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Goldfeder also serves as CEO and director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cWar is hell and war is brutal, but sometimes war, especially a defensive war, is necessary,\u201d Goldfeder wrote.<\/p>\n

However, international humanitarian law \u201cknows that, and accounts for that, even if these students don\u2019t understand that,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe principle of military necessity permits measures which are actually necessary to accomplish a legitimate military purpose \u2013 even if doing so could endanger the innocent,\u201d Goldfeder wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe balance\u2026forbids attacks in which the expected incidental loss of civilian life would be excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage gained,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe greater the objective, the greater the extent of lawfully permitted risk of collateral damage.”<\/p>\n

Israel takes multiple measures to avoid civilian casualties, Goldfeder said. It utilizes \u201ceverything from multiple overlapping warning systems, timing their attacks so as to minimize civilian exposure, and the use of means and methods\u2026designed to minimize damage while still achieving their legitimate and necessary military objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Hamas \u201chas turned large amounts of the Gaza Strip\u2019s civilian infrastructure into potential military targets by building tunnels underneath and throughout cities and using everything from hospitals to mosques to UN schools as arms depots and HQs,\u201d he said. Even more, humanitarian law does not require Israel to provide \u201chumanitarian aid when that aid will be diverted by the enemy.”<\/p>\n

Executive Director Hillel Neuer of United Nations Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization, stated in an Oct. 18 interview<\/a> that the Palestinian Ministry of Health is run by Hamas and has stolen \u201cfuel and medical equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamas is \u201ca terrorist organization that steals fuel that\u2019s supposed to be for a humanitarian agency,\u201d Neuer said.<\/p>\n

MORE: 51 percent of young people side with Hamas over Israel in conflict: poll<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

IMAGE: ChameleonsEye\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

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