House Republicans on Tuesday confronted the leaders of elite universities about the anti-Israel protests that have swept the universities' campuses since the Oct. 7 terror attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
House Education Committee chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R., N.C.) introduced the hearing with a video showing protests on the campuses of MIT, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania. In the video, students can be seen calling for violence against Israel, chanting slogans such as "Globalize the intifada" and "Long live the intifada."
The presidents of all three universities testified at the hearing, titled "Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism."
The hearing comes amid a nationwide spike in anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League has tracked over 200 pro-Hamas rallies on college campuses and a nearly 400 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the October attacks.
UPenn has been embroiled in controversy as several donors have cut ties over the university's "silence" regarding Hamas terrorism. Harvard and MIT, meanwhile, have both faced pressure from prominent alumni following student protests that called for the destruction of Israel.
House Republicans prior to the hearing held a press conference with Jewish students who recounted their experiences of anti-Semitism on their campuses.
"This is not just harassment. This is our lives on the line," said Talia Khan, the president of the MIT Israel Alliance.