Whereas, universities have an obligation to uphold ethical standards and ensure that speakers invited by the administration do not legitimize violence, undermine international law, or compromise the safety and wellbeing of students,
Whereas, Cornell University’s administration has utilized events such as Pathways to Peace to host speakers whose public records are associated with the planning, justification, or execution of large-scale violence,
Whereas, Pathways to Peace programming has included Tzipi Livni, former Israeli Foreign Minister, who has faced international legal scrutiny for her role in Israel’s 2008–2009 assault on Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead. This scrutiny includes a 2009 arrest warrant issued by Westminster Magistrates’ Court in the UK under universal jurisdiction laws, a subsequent private application for arrest considered by the Crown Prosecution Service, and a 2016 summons by UK police for voluntary questioning over alleged war crimes, alongside findings by a United Nations fact-finding mission and investigations by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documenting strong evidence of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law,
Whereas, presenting individuals implicated in war crimes or crimes against humanity as authorities on peace, diplomacy, or global leadership fundamentally distorts the meaning of peace and serves to normalize impunity for mass violence,
Whereas, such administrative decisions create a hostile and coercive academic environment for students, particularly those from communities directly impacted by war, occupation, and state violence,
Whereas, framing these invitations as educational or peace-oriented events exposes students to state propaganda and moral revisionism rather than rigorous, ethical inquiry,
Whereas, students are entitled to an academic environment free from militarization, intimidation, and the glorification or rehabilitation of individuals responsible for large-scale human rights abuses,
Be it therefore resolved, that the Student Assembly condemns the University administration’s practice of inviting individuals implicated in war crimes or serious human rights violations to campus, including through programming branded as Pathways to Peace,
Be it further resolved, that the Student Assembly urges the University administration to adopt transparent, enforceable standards for speaker selection that prioritize human rights, international law, and student safety,
Be it finally resolved, that the University be called upon to reaffirm its commitment to academic integrity by rejecting programming that sanitizes, legitimizes, or rehabilitates the public image of individuals responsible for mass violence and systemic human rights abuses.
Respectfully Submitted,
Yasmeen Masoud ‘28
Brooks School of Public Policy Representative, Student Governance Assembly
