University of Florida president releases strong pro-Israel statement, blasts 'elite academia'

A group of around 50 students gathered at George Washington University to hold a vigil for Palestinian "martyrs." One organizer claimed the Hamas attacks were "not unprovoked."

The University of Florida president issued a strong statement of support for Israel, saying that there is "no defense for terrorism," and blasting "elite academia" for issuing anti-Israel statements.

"I will not tiptoe around this simple fact: What Hamas did is evil and there is no defense for terrorism. This shouldn’t be hard," UF President Ben Sasse wrote in a statement. "Sadly, too many people in elite academia have been so weakened by their moral confusion that, when they see videos of raped women, hear of a beheaded baby, or learn of a grandmother murdered in her home, the first reaction of some is to "provide context" and try to blame the raped women, beheaded baby, or the murdered grandmother."

There is no defense for terrorism. This shouldn’t be hard.

Former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., is president of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon/File/Fox News)

"In other grotesque cases, they express simple support for the terrorists," Sasse added.

ISRAEL AT WAR WITH HAMAS AFTER SURPRISE ATTACKS, AROUND 1,000 ISRAELIS DEAD

The former Nebraska U.S. senator did not mince words, blasting Hamas for their terrorist attacks on Israelis, which killed over 1,000, including children, and wounded over 2,000. 

"Our educational mission here begins with the recognition and explicit acknowledgment of human dignity – the same human dignity that Hamas’ terrorists openly scorn," Sasse said. "Every single human life matters."

A campus entrance at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Fla.  (Miami Herald/Tribune News Service