On November 2, Hebrew University student Ali Bahar was detained for three hours after refusing to shake hands with Israeli president Shimon Peres. Visiting the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Peres was congratulating students on the opening of the academic year. Upon approaching Bahar, the student refused to shake Peres' hand and stated "I will not shake hands with murderer of kids." Immediately following the encounter, Bahar was detained by university security personnel and his student ID was confiscated. His student ID will not be returned until a disciplinary committee at Hebrew University investigates the incident. Bahar is currently chair of the Arab Student Body of Hebrew University and a member of Abna al-Balad, a movement working for the human and legal rights of Palestinians. Abna al-Balad is a democratic organization active inside 1948 Israel, calling for "the return of all Palestinian refugees, and end to the Israeli occupation and the Zionist apartheid, and the establishment of a democratic secular Palestine."

In calling Peres as a "murderer of kids," Bahar was referring to the Qana Massacre in Lebanon by the Israeli occupation forces. The Qana Massacre took place in 1996 while Israeli forces occupied South Lebanon. The government of Israeli used excessively violent force to subdue resistance to the Israeli occupation and in doing so, Israeli occupation forces shelled a UN compound where hundreds of civilians were taking refuge. 104 civilians died and 100 civilians were injured. Human right organizations investigated the massacre and concluded that Israel intentionally attacked the UN compound with deadly shells repeatedly, however Israel denies any real responsibility. Peres, then acting as Israeli Prime Minister, said in a press conference, "we are sorry, but we do not apologize," and scapegoats the responsibility to poor intelligence, and resistance forces for using civilians as shields.

In recent years many progressive organizations have called to boycott Israel's academia for employing discriminatory policies and being part of a colonial system. The boycott targets the universities' compliance and silence in the face of atrocities committed by the apartheid state. Read more

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