Hebrew University Suspends Professor Who Denies Hamas Sexual Crimes

Shalhoub-Kevorkian said that Zionism should be abolished and called into question reports of sexual crimes committed by Hamas. 

By Shula Rosen

Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a law professor at Hebrew University, has been suspended after making inflammatory remarks, including those denying the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th.

Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian holds the Lawrence D. Biele Chair in Law at the Faculty of Law-Institute of Criminology at the Hebrew University and is recognized as an expert on trauma, criminology, and sexual violence.

In an interview on Channel 14, Shalhoub-Kevorkian said that Zionism should be abolished and called into question reports of sexual crimes committed by Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7th.

She said she felt that Israelis were behaving as if they were afraid when they walked by and heard her talking Arabic on the phone and added they “should be scared because criminals are always scared… it’s time to abolish Zionism.”

“It can’t continue, it’s criminal. Only by abolishing Zionism can we continue,” she added.

Shalhoub-Kevorkian continued, “They will use any lie. They started with babies, they continued with rape, and they will continue with a million other lies.”

She added, “We stopped believing them, I hope the world stops believing them.”

Groups of students protested the law professor’s remarks and efforts to effect Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s removal were organized by the organization Im Tirtzu.

A student representative said, “Our policy is that people who deny 7/10, support Palestinian nationalism and slander Israel the world over, and do not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, should not be part of the fabric of Israeli society and the Hebrew University. ”

They added, “We as students do not want to study with them, do not want to see them. We call out Kevorkian and shame her, and call for a blanket ban on any such despicable person.”

Shalhoub-Kevorkian was urged to resign but refused and as a result, the administration suspended her.

Professor Asher Ben-Arieh, dean of the School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said that the only way she can reverse the suspension is to admit regret over her statements that October 7th crimes never happened.

Ben-Arieh said the professor’s suspension “is not because of such political statements, nor is it because of disciplinary or regulatory or other infractions.”

Instead, the suspension was prompted by “her denial of cases of rape and murder of civilians, women and children on October 7, in complete opposition to professional values of social work that oblige everyone to stand by the victims.”