A collective of faculty and staff at Yale University expressing support for Palestine say the institution is not doing enough to assist students who have been harassed amid recent demonstrations.
The Faculty for Justice in Palestine-Yale group said more than 1,000 faculty had signed a letter to the administration demanding protections for speech and academic freedom.
“Students have echoed these demands and called for a university-wide anti-doxing policy,” read a statement posted to Yale FSJP's website. “The administration has yet to respond.”
Yale FSJP's statement and critiques of university administrators follows a decision to decertify the student-run pro-Palestine club, Yalies4Peace, and rescind its official club status following recent protests on campus.
Yalies4Peace probably will not be reinstated anytime soon, but that is not stopping the Yale FSJP from trying to bolster support for the decertified club.
“We write on behalf of concerned faculty and staff who attended the April 22nd protest and who are committed to protecting freedom of expression,” reads the post from Yale FSJP in reference to what it describes as misinformation about demonstrations that took place during a speech occurring near campus by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Yale said that the demonstration, which took place on Hewitt University Quadrangle, was not authorised by the university, and took place in complete breach of “Yale's time, place and manner policies”.
In a statement posted to Yale's website, the university also insinuated that Yalies4Palestine played a major role in organising the demonstration.
Yalies4Palestine has since said that the demonstration was not affiliated with any particular student organisation.
A faculty member familiar with Yalies4Palestine echoed those sentiments to The National.
“This is simply untrue,” said the faculty member, referring to the demonstrations which took place near Mr Ben Gvir's speech. The staffer spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution by Yale administrators.
Mr Ben Gvir had been invited to speak at the private event hosted by the Yale-based Jewish society group Shabtai.
“There was no aggression and by 11pm the protesters had left. But there were a few students from the local Chabad aggressively filming them and pushing their way in,” the faculty member said, referring to a conservative Jewish group.
That same faculty member said that within hours, those who had been filming the demonstrations began to release the names of some of those attending the protest and have since tried to “dox and harass them”.
In its recent statement, Yale FSJP also alleged that various members of Yalies4Palestine have since become targets of disinformation.
“A far-right organisation, Canary Mission, known for doxing protesters, has been using footage filmed at Yale – including at university-approved public gatherings – to target individuals for harassment,” the group's statement read, also alleging that names of student demonstrators had also been released online.
“Yale has not indicated they are taking steps to investigate how students are being targeted or to protect students from such harassment. We call on administrators, on the Yale community: Don’t look away.”
Since the April 22 demonstrations, Yale has acknowledged that some students had been notified that they are subject to disciplinary action, and that the university was investigating concerns about alleged anti-Semitic conduct.
Yale FSJP has vigorously denied this and accused Yale administrators of perpetuating “false accusations of anti-Semitism”. Recent demonstrations saw Jewish students also take part and advocate for Palestine.
The decertified university organisation, Yalies4Peace, has since described the university's actions following the protests as “a blatant attempt to silence students for speaking truth about Israel’s genocide in Gaza”.
The student group also explained that regardless of whether or not it gains back certification status, its work continues.
“Our role as students is to heighten them even more, engage our peers and colleagues, and be active agents in the struggle for freedom.”
Yale did not immediately respond to The National's requests for comment on Yale FSJP's statement and allegations regarding the loss of university club status.
An end-of-the-year message from Yale’s president Maurie McInnis didn’t directly address the controversy, but did touch upon the overall theme of rights on campus.
“Diverse viewpoints are welcome. Spirited debate is encouraged. But we can have disagreement and debate without disparagement,” Ms McInnis wrote on Monday.
"We do so, in part, by following the rule of law and university policies. These policies—such as neutral time, place, and manner guidelines—do not favor any particular group or viewpoint,” she added, noting that Yale would continue to adjust policies as needed.
Israel's punishing campaign in Gaza – which followed the 2023 attacks by Hamas-led fighters on Israel that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the capture of 240 hostages – has killed at least 52,365 people in Gaza and injured at least 117,900.
The war has prompted heightened Islamophobia as well as a spread of anti-Semitism in various parts of the US.
Like other universities, this is not Yale's first controversy over how it has handled students and faculty expressing support for Palestine.
In April, Yale sacked Helyeh Doutaghi, a scholar of international law who was accused of having connections to terrorism by an artificial intelligence-powered news site, Jewish Onliner.
“I have been terminated based on unproven allegations, absent any due process or substantiated claim,” Ms Doutaghi posted to X. “This sets a chilling precedent.”
In a statement to The National, Alden Ferro, a senior associate of public affairs at Yale, said that the school repeatedly tried to talk to Ms Doutaghi and her lawyer but she refused to meet to respond to questions.
The Israel-Gaza war has prompted a surge in attempts from various interest groups to use technology, AI and social networks to try to gain an upper hand in influencing public opinion. Those attempts have resulted in growing concern that demonstrators are being penalised without due process or a sense of nuance.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has shown no sign that it wants to entertain the idea of support for Palestine on college campuses, with various media reports indicating that the US State Department might use artificial intelligence to revoke the visas of international students involved in protests that it deems to be in support of Hamas.
For Yale FSJP, concerns about such a heightened climate have in recent days since the April 22 demonstrations, become solidified.
“The selective harassment of Palestine-focused student groups and persons has become a troubling trend at Yale and elsewhere and raises questions about Yale’s lack of interest in addressing the rise in Islamophobia on university campuses,” the group said.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
2017%20RESULTS%3A%20FRENCH%20VOTERS%20IN%20UK
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