By Hank Russell
Peter Giunta, the chair of the New York State Young Republicans (NYSYR), issued a statement on April 30 to condemn the State Universities of New York at Albany and Binghamton’s Student Associations for passing resolutions that, he said, are hostile to Israel. He is also calling on university leadership and SUNY Chancellor Dr. John B. King to speak out in favor of Israel.
It was previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics that the Binghamton University Student Association passed the resolution on April 16. This sparked a reaction from New York State Assemblymen Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) and Dave Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) — both president and co-president of the New York chapter of the National Association of Jewish Legislators, respectively — who denounced the bill’s passage.
“As the leader of an institution representing right-leaning young voters across New York, I unequivocally condemn the recent passage of resolutions by the student government associations at Albany and Binghamton universities opposing the free state of Israel by encouraging support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign,” Giunta said.
Giunta’s statement came out the same day that Governor Kathy Hochul announced a plan to keep college students safe on campus during these demonstrations. “Every American has a First Amendment right to peacefully protest and assemble and many students we know have very strong convictions, strong beliefs about what has taken them to protest,” she said. “We don’t have to agree with them. That’s not always how it is. But when actions cross over into vandalism, harassment, destruction of property, or even violence, then the line has been crossed.”
Giunta noted the “alarming rise in disruptive, inflammatory, and sometimes violent protests happening” on campus which “underscore the severely ill-informed understanding that these students have of such a complex international crisis.”
In response to the rise in violence on campuses across New York and the U.S., Giunta called on the administrations at SUNY-Albany and SUNY-Binghamton — both of which, he pointed out, are taxpayer-funded — to “immediately issue statements condemning the divisive rhetoric used by their respective student government organizations.”
Further, he called on King to “issue a public statement supporting the nation of Israel and also guaranteeing the safety of Jewish students attending any of their 64 campuses throughout the state.”
Giunta concluded, “As Passover draws to a close, I reaffirm our support for Israel and the Jewish people as well as our opposition to all those who sympathize with and justify the heinous acts of terrorist organizations such as Hamas.”