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Cornell University's president, Prof. Michael Kotlikoff, is under fire after the university circulated an internal email to the media in which he criticized a new course titled "Gaza, Indigeneity, Resistance." The course accuses Israel of "ongoing colonialism" and potential "genocide" in Gaza.
In a statement by the university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the president's remarks were described as an "egregious threat to bedrock principles of academic freedom."
The statement asserted that his comments constitute an attack not just on the course but on "every individual and all scholarship" at Cornell, raising concerns about administrative interference in pedagogical decisions and course instruction.
The controversy began with the unveiling of the course, which will be taught next semester by Prof. Eric Cheyfitz from the American Literature Department. According to the syllabus, the course aims to explore and define terms like "resistance" and "genocide" in the context of the war in Gaza.
Prof. Cheyfitz, an expert on colonialism and Indigenous peoples, is known for his critical views on Israel and called the country a "terrorist state,” following Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks.
Prof. Menachem Rosensaft, a Jewish law lecturer at Cornell and a former vice president of the World Jewish Congress, emailed President Kotlikoff, claiming the course was antisemitic and could incite violence against Jewish and Israeli students.
He argued that the course justifies Palestinian terrorism and distorts history. "A provocative course like this should raise red flags at any time, especially when taught by a professor with a long history of anti-Israel positions, who will undoubtedly use the course as another means to propagate his extreme and antisemitic views instead of educating."
President Kotlikoff responded to the email, expressing disappointment with the curriculum committee's decision to approve the course.
He also questioned the objectivity of its content, writing, "Cornell courses should provoke thought and present multiple viewpoints, rather than transmit pre-formed views of a complex conflict, and I personally find the course description to represent a radical, factually inaccurate, and biased view of the formation of the State of Israel and the ongoing conflict.”
Kotlikoff's email was shared by the university itself in response to a Ynet inquiry on November 7. Following its publication, criticism of President Kotlikoff intensified. Kotlikoff clarified that the email in question was part of private correspondence with a colleague and was not intended for publication.
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Prof. Cheyfitz’s colleagues condemned the administration’s handling of the situation and argued that the president's remarks indicate that, despite repeated denials, Cornell's leadership not only intends to scrutinize classroom activities but is already doing so with political considerations in mind.