Jewish Professor's Suspension for Hamas Remarks Sparks Outrage

The University of Southern California (USC) put an economics professor on administrative leave for comments about Hamas, prompting backlash online.

The conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group in the Gaza region continues, though it is in the fourth day of a ceasefire during which hostages and prisoners have been exchanged. Since the October 7 attack by Hamas that killed roughly 1,400 Israelis, 10,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed in subsequent Israel Defense Forces strikes in Gaza, according to the Associated Press. The fighting has resulted in heated discourse around the globe, with various groups in support of Israel and others in support of Palestinians clashing.

USC economics professor John Strauss approached a group of student protesters at the school on November 9, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and holding memorials for the Palestinians killed in the conflict, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. At one point, Strauss, who is Jewish, made anti-Hamas comments that were captured on video and spread across various social media platforms.

"Hamas are murderers," Strauss said. "That's all they are. Every one should be killed, and I hope they all are killed."

Notably, Strauss' comments reference only Hamas, not Palestinian civilians in general. The Times reported that the comments were seemingly distorted as they traveled across social media, with the explicit mention of Hamas being lost, and only his call for "every one" to be killed getting through, likely generating a misunderstanding of his intention.

Nevertheless, the spread of the comments resulted in Strauss being put on paid administrative leave and being barred from campus. He was also told that he would not be teaching any undergraduate students for the remainder of the current semester.

Strauss declined comment when contacted by Newsweek.

Newsweek reached out to USC via email for comment.

In the wake of the Times releasing its piece about Strauss's situation, news of suspension has generated backlash among some users on X, formerly Twitter.

"Unbelievable. John Strauss, a Jewish professor at USC told protesters, 'Hamas are murderers. That's all they are. I hope they all are killed,'" the account Republicans against Trump posted. "He was then suspended and barred from campus. Does [USC] support Hamas?"

"How on earth does condemning Hamas get one barred from a campus in the USA? Is that professor in Pakistan or America?" journalist Uzay Bulut wrote. "Since when have these Hamas fans infiltrated US higher education? Would the professor face the same backlash if he made a similar statement about ISIS?"

"As a USC alum, John Strauss was absolutely correct to wish death upon every Hamas fighter, and he should have been publicly defended by the university administration rather than fired and thrown under the bus in order to appease a mob," user Krishnan Patel posted.

Update 11/27/23, 11:38 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a response from John Strauss.