An academic who referred to the Israeli army as “baby killer” had his piloting classes terminated. Sebastian Ben-Daniel had claimed that the Israeli army was carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in the West Bank.

The Israeli Air Force ended Ben-Gurion University lecturer Sebastian Ben-Daniel’s piloting classes after he labeled the Israeli army as “baby killer.”

According to Israel’s state television, 26 professors at Ben-Gurion University wrote a letter to the school administration requesting Ben-Daniel’s dismissal, citing that he had “harmed the university’s and students’ reputation.” The letter claimed that Ben-Daniel’s words were not freedom of expression, but rather “blatant incitement.” The Zionist group, Im Tirtzu, also called for his dismissal, arguing that Ben-Daniel had no place in any academic institution in Israel.

REACTION TO “ETHNIC CLEANSING” ON SOCIAL MEDIA
As reported by The Times of Israel, Ben-Daniel, in early March, posted on his social media account claiming that Israeli soldiers “willingly carry out orders to kill children,” are taught to “kill Palestinian children,” and that the Israeli army is a “baby killer.” Ben-Daniel also stated that the Israeli army was conducting “ethnic cleansing” in the West Bank and labeled Israel as an “apartheid” regime. Following these comments, Ben-Daniel was suspended by the university administration based on a petition prepared by Im Tirtzu organization, signed by over a thousand students. Subsequently, the university announced that complaints regarding the lecturer were reviewed, and the suspension was repealed. The university conveyed that Ben-Daniel had apologized for his remarks. On the other hand, Haaretz newspaper reported that over 100 academics supported Ben-Daniel by writing a letter to the university administration. In the letter, the academics maintained that Ben-Daniel’s critiques should be viewed within the context of freedom of expression and urged the university to protect the academic from a “witch hunt.”