Suspension of a U.S. University President Following Support for Academic Boycott of Israel

One day after the president of a state university in California expressed support for an academic boycott of Israel, the university announced that he would be on "administrative leave" until further notice. In recent weeks, universities across various states in the U.S. have been the scene of widespread student protests due to the war in Gaza and in support of Palestinians. During this time, protests at Sonoma State University in northern San Francisco, California, were also ongoing, with one of the demands of the protesting students being the cessation of any academic collaboration with Israeli universities. On Tuesday, May 15, an Instagram account published a letter from Mike Lee, the president of Sonoma University, to the protesting students, in which he announced his support for the academic boycott of Israel. However, just one day later, the state university announced that Mr. Lee had been placed on "administrative leave" due to what was termed "disobedience" and the "consequences it created for the academic system." Sonoma, abbreviated as SSU, is known as a liberal arts university with about six thousand students, most of whom are Latino, making it one of the smallest public higher education institutions in California. In his letter, Mike Lee referred to the students' protests as one of the key principles in a democracy, adding that when people are faced with mass killings and destruction, no one should remain silent. He noted that there is currently no exchange program for faculty and students between this university and Israeli academic institutions, and this situation will be maintained, with the university pursuing scientific collaboration only with those Israeli scholars who are willing to cooperate as "independent figures" and not as representatives of Israeli academic or research centers. Biden stated: "In America, there is a right to free speech and peaceful protest, but violence is not acceptable." Pro-Palestinian students at SSU have been camping on campus for three weeks, demanding the severance of their university's ties with Israel. They have called for the establishment of a new program at the university regarding Palestinian studies and an advisory council for "justice in Palestine" in exchange for dismantling their tents. Among the demands of students in American universities during their recent month-long protests are the practical cessation of cooperation with Israeli universities, withdrawing university financial investments from American and international companies that have contracts with Israel, and providing privileges to Gaza students for entry into the U.S. and studying at American academic institutions. However, Mildred Garcia, the executive president of Sonoma University, announced on Wednesday that the message sent by Mike Lee regarding agreement with the protesters was sent without the necessary approvals, and the university board is reviewing the matter. Mr. Garcia added that due to "disobedience" and the "consequences it created for the academic system," Mike Lee is on "administrative leave" until further notice. According to Haaretz, Shira Goodman, an official from the Anti-Defamation League in the U.S., condemned Mike Lee's decision to cut scientific collaboration with Israel as the "most extreme concession that an American academic institution" has given to the protesters.