Nothing Case Western Reserve University President Eric Kaler wrote in his Nov. 10 statement acknowledging Palestinian suffering, a development noted in The Observer, changes the fact that the university has pledged public support for the Israeli government, which is the cause of that Palestinian suffering. By signing the university’s name to a letter, written by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, which appeared in the Plain Dealer, Kaler effectively committed everyone at CWRU, as the title to the letter puts it, to “stand with Israel.”

Signing the university’s name was a bad idea. What makes a university a university is the opportunity for independent thought. No one is supposed to tell teachers and students what to think. Universities are supposed to be neutral when it comes to political action.

In his Nov. 10 statement, Kaler also claims the university supports “freedom of expression.” That claim rings hollow, however, in light of the university’s recent history. In 2020, the year before Kaler became president, CWRU’s administration canceled a speaker who, ironically, aimed to raise awareness about the censorship of Palestinian voices. Instead, the university replaced that speaker with one from the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League. Palestine Legal, a group that promotes Palestinian rights, intervened in the case and noted that CWRU was violating its own policies on free speech.

Openly siding with a foreign government—any such government—and breaching its own policies constitute conduct unbecoming of a university.

Universities have a responsibility that largely rests on challenging received wisdom and accepted propositions. CWRU’s Policy on Freedom of Expression even reads, in part, that the “University’s mission requires an openness to new ideas, and the protection of expression, which is critical toward conventional thought or established interests.” Instead of standing by Israel, the university ought to stand by that.