The trustees of the University of Illinois voted last week to withdraw an offer of a tenured position to a Palestinian-American professor after reviewing his tweets about Gaza this summer, the New York Times reported Friday.
Prior to the vote, a petition protesting the appointment of Professor of American Indian Studies Steven Salaita was circulated by pro-Israel students, faculty members and donors who found his tweets anti-Semitic, the Times reported.
“Let’s cut to the chase: If you’re defending #Israel right now you’re an awful human being,” read one of Salaita’s tweets from July 8.
“Professor Salaita’s approach indicates he would be incapable of fostering a classroom environment where conflicting opinions would be given equal consideration,” President of the University of Illinois Robert Easter said after the vote, the Times reported.
Salaita told The Jewish Daily Forward his tweets were taken out of context and “misunderstood,” adding that he opposes anti-Semitism and would never seek to punish students for expressing pro-Israel views.