DeSantis has directed universities in his state to disband their chapters of a pro-Palestinian group that endorsed Hamas’ actions.

From CBN. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is ordering state universities to ban a pro-Palestinian student organization from campuses, saying it illegally backs Hamas terrorists who murdered Israeli civilians earlier this month.

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As CBN News has reported, antisemitic hate continues to be directed against Israel by students demonstrating in support of Palestinians on multiple college and university campuses across the U.S.

The members of one group, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), were responsible for the latest incident Tuesday night in which antisemitic statements were projected on the wall of the Gelman Library at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Some organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, have called out this organization and other student-led groups. But the state of Florida has gone further, saying the SJP is supporting a “terrorist organization.”

Florida State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote to university presidents Tuesday at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ urging, directing them to disband chapters of the SJP.  …

“In the wake of this terror, military leaders of Hamas have called for the mobilization of Palestinians in support of the Operation,” he explained. “In response, the leading up to a ‘Day of Resistance,’ the National Students for Justice in Palestine released a toolkit which refers to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood as ‘the resistance’ and unequivocally states: ‘Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement.'”

Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism Michal Cotler-Wunsh posted the introduction to the “Day of Resistance” Toolkit to X.

“It is a felony under Florida law to ‘knowingly provide material support … to a designated foreign terrorist organization,'” Rodrigues wrote in the letter. “Here, National SJP has affirmatively identified it as a part of the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a terrorist led attack.”

“Based on the National SJP’s support of terrorism, in consultation with Governor DeSantis, the student chapters must be deactivated,” he continued. …

NEW: Governor DeSantis just ordered the University of Florida and the University of South Florida to deactivate their "Students for Justice in Palestine" groups for violating Florida's laws against antisemitism. pic.twitter.com/Y3B6hLnRJZ

— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) October 24, 2023

The U.S. State Department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997. The European Union and other Western countries also consider it a terrorist organization. …

Palestine Legal, a group that provides legal support for pro-Palestinian groups, said the ban on SJP is part of a broader effort by DeSantis to suppress freedom of speech on campuses. …

Meanwhile, Ivy League universities were put on notice as billionaires, business leaders, and university alumni decided to withdraw their financial support from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and Harvard University after administrators and students failed to condemn Hamas for its terror attack on Israel. …

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(Excerpt from CBN. Photo Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)