Rather than swiftly enforcing campus conduct policies, the leadership at Johns Hopkins University has chosen to indulge the escalating anti-Israel protests on campus. What started as a few tents has morphed into an encampment of over 70 tents adorned with countless signs promoting inflammatory rhetoric against the Jewish state.

Shockingly, instead of standing firm against this affront to the principles of intellectual discourse, JHU officials are preparing to meet with and effectively lend legitimacy to the protesters behind this stunt. The purportedly pro-Palestinian group has declared itself ready to come to the negotiating table to discuss its proposal with university leaders.

“Just because we’re pro-Palestinian doesn’t mean that we want other people to die,” a protester disingenuously claimed, attempting to downplay the inherently anti-Israel and anti-Semitic overtones of their actions.

By entertaining these protesters, the university administration is regrettably signaling that it is willing to bend to the whims of antisemitism. This emboldening of prejudiced sentiments has already left some Israeli students feeling profoundly unwelcome and unsafe on their own campus.

Rather than caving to the demands of this divisive encampment, supporters of Israel expect JHU to unequivocally condemn displays of anti-Semitism and uphold an environment conducive to open yet respectful dialogue. Giving the “time of day” to those promoting hateful anti-Israel rhetoric ultimately undermines the hallowed principles of academic freedom and inclusivity that universities should uphold.