Jason Hill, a philosophy professor at DePaul University in Chicago was censored on Wednesday by his fellow faculty members and has been facing death threats for writing a pro-Israel opinion piece in the right-wing online outlet The Federalist.
The final tally of the censure resolution by the school’s Faculty Council was 21 in favor and 10 against.
The Faculty Council passed a resolution condemning professor Jason Hill today by a vote of 21-10-0 with amendments. Watch out for the full story Friday with the updated resolution’s text at https://t.co/1aMqC65DfO. https://t.co/QfkhyZkYQY
— The DePaulia (@TheDePaulia)
In his article, “The Moral Case for Israel Annexing the West Bank—and Beyond,” published last month, Hill defends Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to extend sovereignty to Israeli settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria.
Netanyahu won re-election and is expected to form a right-wing coalition.
“Vowing to extend sovereignty without distinguishing between settlement blocks and the isolated settlements, Netanyahu promised not to transfer any sovereignty to the Palestinians,” he wrote. “His victory in the elections will, hopefully, see the enactment of Netanyahu’s promise.”
He also staunchly defended Israel’s right to exist, and that the Palestinians “constitute a national security threat to Israel because a core feature of their identity is a commitment to destroying Israel as a Jewish state. Therefore, only a policy of radical containment or expulsion remains a viable option.”
Hill told The Daily Caller on Wednesday that since his article, he has faced death threats and currently needs armed personnel to accompany him around campus.
“I just got sick and tired of the blatant anti-Semitism being tolerated on campus,” Hill told the Caller.
DePaul University has been subjected to anti-Israel sentiment.
In 2014, a student body initiative passed, calling on the school to divest from Israel.
A year later, the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter held a fundraiser at its student center for convicted Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh, who was released in a prisoner exchange after serving 25 years of a life sentence behind bars for the death of two Hebrew University students in bombing a Jerusalem supermarket in 1969. Odeh was later deported from the United States.
“I just reached a point where I really got tired of seeing the narrative of Israel as an apartheid state,” Hill told the Caller. “I have gone on record speaking out against the unfair attacks on Israel.”
Regarding the backlash against him, he said: “I see this as defaming my character, I see this as damaging my reputation. It’s an agenda to shut down free speech.”
WE THE STUDENTS DEMAND TO CENSURE PROFESSOR JASON HILL NOW!! We will not stop until our demands are met! pic.twitter.com/kc61I3Qg3E
— SJP DePaul (@SJPDePaul)