'Surrogates' for Hamas: University regent slams 'appalling' letter from ethnic studies faculty
University of California regent hits back at faculty council that said not to call Hamas' attack 'terrorism'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Media agent and University of California Board of Regents member Jay Sures criticized a faculty council that defended Hamas' attack on Israel and demanded UC administrators stop calling the attacks "terrorism."
"There are absolutely no words to describe how appalling and repugnant I found your [letter]," Sures wrote in response to an Oct. 16 statement from UC's Ethnic Studies Faculty Council, which argued university administrators were making "Palestinian students and community members unsafe" by using the words "terrorism" and "unprovoked" to describe Hamas' Oct. 7 slaughter of Israeli civilians.
United Talent Agency Vice Chairman Jay Sures wrote a scathing response to the University of California Ethnic Studies Faculty Council's letter objecting to the use of the word "terrorism" to describe Hamas' attack on Israel. Sures is a member of the UC Board of Regents. (Courtesy United Talent Agency)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The faculty council letter called on UC leadership to retract the "charges of terrorism, to uplift the Palestinian freedom struggle, and to stand against Israel’s war crimes against and ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinian people."
"Let me be clear, I will do everything in my power to never let that happen. Full stop," Sures wrote in an Oct. 31 letter shared with Fox News. Sures is a high-profile talent agent, representing many prominent news anchors and media personalities.
He has served on the Board of Regents since 2019 and his term is set to expire in 2032.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sures said the faculty council's letter could be "interpreted as a justification of Hamas' shocking brutality in which babies, children of all ages, the elderly, the disabled, and people from all walks of life were shot, raped, tortured, maimed, mutilated, decapitated, and burned alive."
"These are the facts behind this current conflict, and they are absolutely verifiable and undeniable," Sures wrote. "To whitewash them is a flagrant and willful abdication of your professional responsibility and indeed morality."
Students rally on the UCLA campus in support of Palestinians caught up in the war between Israel and Hamas, Oct. 12, 2023. The University of California Ethnic Studies Faculty Council has condemned school administrators for labeling Hamas' attack "terrorism," arguing it endangers students and community members. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At least 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers were killed in Hamas' attack, along with 35 Americans. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its counterattack.
The UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council characterized the Oct. 7 assault as the actions of a "community trying to free themselves from decades-long ethnic cleansing and genocide."
"To hold the oppressed accountable for ‘terrorism’ reinscribes a colonial narrative that seeks to have the world believe that history began on October 7, 2023," the letter added. The ethnic studies council claims to represent more than 300 faculty members in the university system.
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Sures said the council and its signatories "have demonstrated no empathy for Jewish life" and have instead "willingly chosen to be surrogates and supporters for Hamas' destructive actions."
He noted that the council's letter was sent at a time when Jewish students are facing increased hostility. White House officials said earlier this week that they've seen an "alarming rise" in reported antisemitic threats and intimidation at schools and college campuses across the nation.
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Sures closed by urging the council to retract its previous statements, condemn Hamas' attack and "commit to learning more about antisemitism and all forms of hate."
The UC system consists of 10 campuses serving nearly 300,000 students across California.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A university spokesperson told Fox News that Board of Regents Chair Richard Leib and President Michael V. Drake stand by their initial statement condemning Hamas’ attack when asked about the ethnic studies letter. The spokesperson had no further comment when asked about Sures’ response.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comment from the university spokesperson, which was provided after publication.