Columbia University welcomes speaker who praised rabbi’s murderer

In 2019, Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah attended the funeral of Maher Al-Yamani, a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) cofounder.

By Jewish Breaking News

Columbia University’s ongoing failure to contain hate on campus reached new heights this week after a rabid antisemitic activist was given a platform to spread his anti-Israel rhetoric.

Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, a British-Palestinian surgeon and University of Glasgow rector, addressed a panel hosted by Columbia University Health Sciences for Palestine (CUHSP) on Tuesday.

The event, titled “Gaza: Public Health in Crisis,” drew over 200 attendees despite the university’s belated attempts to distance itself from the controversy.

During his speech, Abu-Sittah accused Israel of intentionally creating famine in Gaza and labeled the Jewish state as the “tip of the genocidal iceberg.”

He went on to implicate the United States, Britain, and Germany in Israel’s “plot” against the Arabs, falsely claiming these countries had deployed “boots on the ground” in Gaza.

Abu-Sittah’s appearance is particularly troubling given his track record of inflammatory statements and actions.

In 2019, he attended the funeral of Maher Al-Yamani, a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) cofounder who helped plan the 1968 hijacking of an Israeli El Al plane.

Abu-Sittah has also praised Ahmad Jarrar, a Hamas terrorist accused of plotting the 2018 drive-by shooting of an Israeli rabbi and father of six, calling him a “hero” and “one of Palestine’s dearest and best sons.”

Although not officially affiliated with the school, Columbia’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) advertised the event on social media together with the university’s logo.

SJP has been particularly active in promoting anti-Israel sentiment on campus since October 7. In protest against a course taught by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week, promotional materials depicting her image defaced with bloody markings were handed out.

“We’re making it clear: War criminals are not welcome on campus. Hillary Clinton has actively engaged in war crimes against the peoples of Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Palestine,” a statement by SJP read on X.

“Hillary Clinton has used her power & influence to cause devastation across the globe. As secretary of state, Clinton backed arms deals to bomb Yemen, interfered in Haitian elections, & lied about ‘mass rape in Libya’ to support a regime change.