Michigan Stadium, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Photo: Ken Lund.

The Central Student Government (CSG) of the University of Michigan accused Israel of committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing on Monday, in a statement that Jewish student groups called hurtful and inflammatory amid the ongoing hostilities between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group.  

“This is not a conflict, but emblematic of Israeli settler-colonialism, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid,” said the CSG statement, which accused Israeli authorities of “targeting Muslims during the holiest month of Ramadan.”

The statement also denounced the university for “choosing not to divest from Israeli companies profiting off of the settler state’s occupation,” and castigated the CSG itself for its “prior complicity with Israel’s violence through participation in events such as yearly trips to Israel.”

The CSG did not respond to an Algemeiner request for comment. 

On Wednesday, University of Michigan Hillel accused the student government of “furthering divisiveness” at a time when many Jewish were pained by ongoing events.

“We are deeply disappointed and surprised to see the leadership of Central Student Government issue a one-sided statement on the complicated Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” it said, noting that it was “released while rockets were being launched into Israel, with no consideration of how Jewish students with a connection to Israel may be feeling.”

“As a result, this statement ultimately made many Jewish students feel unseen and unrepresented by CSG,” the group added. 

Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Rick Fitzgerald told The Algemeiner on Thursday that the CSG “[Does] not speak for the University of Michigan.”

“A core value of the University of Michigan is freedom of speech and respect for diverse ideas and viewpoints,” he said. “The university has a longstanding policy on freedom of speech.”