University President Frederick Lawrence has suspended the University's formal academic partnership with Al-Quds University, a university in East Jerusalem, effective as of last night, and will "reevaluate the relationship as future events may warrant" according to a Nov. 18 BrandeisNOW press release. Al-Quds University's statement regarding recent demonstrations on the Al-Quds campus that "involved demonstrators wearing black military gear, armed with fake automatic weapons, and who marched while waving flags and raising the traditional Nazi salute," according to BrandeisNOW, was "unacceptable and inflammatory."

BrandeisNOW reported that upon learning of the demonstrations, Lawrence "contacted Al-Quds President Sari Nusseibeh and requested that he issue an unequivocal condemnation of the demonstrations" and "also requested that the condemnation be published in both Arabic and English." The release explained that the University is "obliged to recognize intolerance when we see it, and we cannot-and will not-turn a blind eye to intolerance."

The statement by Nusseibeh, which BrandeisNOW described as an English translation from Arabic, began by saying that Al-Quds "is often subjected to vilification campaigns by Jewish extremists with the purpose of discrediting its reputation as a prestigious academic institution." Nusseibeh also wrote that "students making a mock military display ... allow some people to capitalize on events in ways that misrepresent the university as promoting inhumane, anti-Semitic, fascist, and Nazi ideologies. Without these ideologies, there would not have been the massacre of the Jewish people in Europe; without the massacre, there would not have been the enduring Palestinian catastrophe."

Earlier this week, Lawrence had sent Daniel Terris, director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life and the project leader for the partnership between Brandeis and Al-Quds, Prof. Susan Lanser (ENG), and Prof. Daniel Kryder (POL) to Israel to learn in greater detail the nature of demonstrations that took place on the Al-Quds campus, according to Terris. Terris, Lanser and Kryder and three faculty members from Al-Quds University are together the recipients of a research grant from the Bronfman Brandeis-Israel Collaborative Research Initiative.

Terris, Kryder and Lanser sent a statement to the Justice after the partnership's suspension, writing that "[w]e are still in the middle of the process of honoring President Lawrence's request to find out what we can about the November 5 rally and Al-Quds University's response to it."  They emphasized that "everything that we have learned on this trip so far has affirmed our conviction ... that the leadership of Al-Quds University is genuinely and courageously dedicated to the causes of peace and mutual respect."  

The demonstrations were first reported by Tom Gross, an independent Middle East analyst, on his website in a post dated Nov. 6. The Washington Free Beacon, an online newspaper that describes itself on its website as "[d]edicated to uncovering the stories that the professional left hopes will never see the light of day," published a story dated Nov. 11 detailing the demonstrations and reporting that Brandeis declined multiple requests for comment.

According to Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid, the University had not been able to verify that the photographs were taken at Al-Quds University when the Washington Free Beacon had originally asked for a comment on the afternoon of Nov. 8.

On Nov. 11, Lawrence published a blog post condemning the demonstration and explaining that he was informed that the demonstration was not sanctioned by Al-Quds. Lawrence published a second blog post on the demonstrations on Nov. 15, writing that the University should speak out "where such events [on campuses of our international partners] fly in the face of our communal values."

Lawrence received Nusseibeh's statement on the demonstrations on the evening of Nov. 17, according to BrandeisNOW. The partnership was suspended on Nov. 18, with the University's action being made public that evening.

Daniel Koas '16, the president of the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee, said in an email to the Justice that he "fully support[s] the university's decision to take a firm stand against such despicable acts, especially given the fact that Al-Quds had the chance to condemn the demonstrations, but instead decided to release an inflammatory statement. While it is upsetting to lose a partner university that Brandeis has such a longstanding relationship with, the events of the past weeks have given the administration no choice."

The campus organization Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine provided a statement to the Justice regarding the suspension of the partnership. "BSJP is disappointed at Brandeis's decision, which reflects the university's double standard regarding social justice when it comes to Palestine. We wish a quick recovery to the 40 injured students from the [Israel Defense Force] attack today on al-Quds University. We urge Brandeis to evaluate the moral standing of other partner institutions as well: Technion, for a start, develops drones and other deadly weapons," the group wrote.

Chen Arad '15, a co-director of Brandeis Visions for Israel in an Evolving World, expressed in an interview with the Justice his concern with the Al-Quds statement. "I thought the statement was offensive, and I was very disappointed that there was no clear condemnation of the events there. I'm specifically disappointed because I feel that the best way to negate, to battle extremism, like the one that was very clearly ... exhibited in those demonstrations, is by strengthening moderates, is by dialogue between people who are interested in talking ... and through education," he said.

Prof. Ilan Troen (NEJS), the director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, expressed his opinion in an email to the Justice that "it stretches the imagination to believe that such an outrage occurred without anyone in authority in the Al-Quds administration not being cognizant of it.  Nothing less than a clear condemnation is appropriate of such an outrage."
Profs. Shai Feldman (POL), director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Mari Fitzduff (Heller) and Alain Lempereur (Heller), former director and current director, respectively, of the M.A. program in Coexistence and Conflict could not be reached on Monday night by press time.

The partnership had its genesis from a visit by Nusseibeh to Brandeis in 1997 and was originally funded by a nearly one million dollar grant from the Ford Foundation, according to the partnership website. By press time, the partnership website had been taken down. Nusseibeh is listed as a member of the advisory board of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life.

Dr. Khuloud Khayyat Dajani, the contact person at Al-Quds University listed on the former website for the academic partnership, could not be reached for comment by press time.

-Marissa Ditkowsky, Sam Mintz and Andrew Wingens contributed reporting.