UMN president admits to previously signing document with Hamas reference to 'exterminate Jews'
On June 25, Jeff Ettinger, interim president at the University of Minnesota, admitted to having signed a document that contained a reference to the extermination of Jews.
On June 25, the interim president at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis admitted to having signed a document that contained a reference to the extermination of Jews.
Interim President Jeff Ettinger said he signed an agreement with anti-Israel protesters who had set up an encampment on campus that referenced “Hamas’ foundational mission to exterminate Jews in Israel.” Ettinger’s remarks came at a meeting with the Minnesota Senate’s Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety in Saint Paul.
Some members of Minnesota’s Senate were particularly concerned that the university administration, headed by Ettinger, negotiated with the demonstrators and ultimately signed an agreement that involved concessions to the pro-Hamas protesters.
“I’m particularly concerned that the manner of sanctions or lack of sanctions for those who violated the law would have the effect of encouraging future disruptions,” Minnesota State Senator Ron Latz said. “It seems to me [it] will only be a signal to future people intending to protest that they can do it with impunity and without facing any real sanctions.”
Ettinger said that his decision to sign the document, which included an Arabic term referencing Hamas’ desire to “exterminate Jews in Israel” was a “mistake.”
“That was a mistake by our administration. The way things transpired that day, we ended up finalizing that document at 5 a.m.,” Ettinger explained. “Those topics were characterized by the students as their demands. We looked at them as topics, but clearly, I didn’t even know what that word meant.”
Pro-Palestinian student demonstrators at the university have expressed their commitment to continue protesting against Israel in the fall.
“UMN Divest remains steadfast in our commitment to demanding FULL divestment from apartheid Israel and all entities complicit in human rights violations,” the UMN Divest Coalition stated in the aftermath of its agreement with the university, adding that it is committed to having all of its demands eventually accepted by the school.
In the wake of the Oct. 7 attack against Israel by Hamas, the number of bias reports at the University of Minnesota more than tripled from the previous year’s total, jumping from 55 to 170.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Minnesota for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
