GOP lawmaker targets pro-Hamas protests on college campuses, Dept of Education: ‘Deep rot of antisemitism’

FIRST ON FOX: Republican Congressman Burgess Owens has introduced a resolution condemning the support Hamas has received on college campuses nationwide following its attack on Israel that left over 1,400 citizens dead.

The resolution, supported by dozens of Republican members of Congress, “condemns the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff; and urges the Secretary of Education to direct the Office for Civil Rights to investigate and, where appropriate, take action immediately.”

“I never thought I’d see American students celebrate a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people,” the Utah Republican, who chairs the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee, said in a press release.

“Elite institutions have failed their students and alumni by offering inadequate statements of condemnation. This has exposed the deep rot of antisemitism in our higher education system, from statements placing blame solely on Israel for the atrocities of Hamas to demonstrations glorifying mass murder, rape, torture, and kidnapping. It is not nuanced or difficult to stand against terror.”

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The resolution was also signed by Reps. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Bob Good, R-Va., James Comer, R-Ky., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Kat Cammack, R-Fla., Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and several others.

“Condemning terrorism should not be a controversial position to take,” Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who also signed the resolution, said in the press release.

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“Hamas slaughtered innocent men, women, and children because they were Jewish. It’s appalling that some higher education faculty and students have the gall to defend these despicable actions. I thank Congressman Owens for introducing this resolution to condemn the support of terrorist organizations at colleges and universities that places the safety of Jewish students, faculty, and staff at risk.” 

Following the Hamas attack on Israel earlier this month that killed over 1,400 Israelis, protests condemning Israel have erupted on college campuses across the country, including at Harvard University, where calls have intensified for the school’s president to step down over her response to the protests.

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“Sadly, there are few places on earth with more vicious antisemitism and hatred of Israel than American ‘elite’ universities,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told Fox News Digital in a statement following a letter he sent to Harvard, his alma mater, calling on the school to denounce the protests. 

“It’s disgusting, and it’s dangerous. I’m particularly ashamed that student groups from my alma mater, Harvard, blamed Israel for the genocidal war that Hamas terrorists are brutally waging.” 

The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.