Lead
Rutgers University has rescinded its invitation to Rami Elghandour, a prominent alumnus and executive producer of an Oscar-nominated documentary, to deliver a commencement address at its School of Engineering. The university acted after some graduating students raised concerns about his social media posts, particularly a tweet that included an inflammatory claim about Israel. The decision has drawn attention to the delicate balance campuses face between free expression and the comfort of their students.Coverage Comparison
The Guardian and the Jerusalem Post both reported on the cancellation, but they framed it differently. The Guardian’s coverage emphasized free speech and censorship, quoting Elghandour directly and describing the university’s move as a response to student complaints. The Jerusalem Post focused on the controversy, noting that the university cited an “inflammatory claim” in the speaker’s tweet, without carrying Elghandour’s direct comments.Key Claims
Rutgers University, New Jersey’s public flagship, rescinded its invitation to Rami Elghandour on Wednesday, May 7, 2026, about a week before he was scheduled to speak on May 15. Elghandour, a graduate of Rutgers’ School of Engineering and a tech entrepreneur, had been set to deliver the commencement address. The university cited concerns from graduating students about the speaker’s social media posts about Palestine, according to a university representative quoted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The representative specifically pointed to an April 20 tweet in which Elghandour accused Israel of genocide and alleged that Israelis are “running dungeons where they train dogs to sexually assault prisoners.” The claim that Israel trains dogs to assault prisoners has circulated among some pro-Palestinian activists in recent weeks, according to the Jerusalem Post.Elghandour told the Guardian that the dean of the engineering school, Alberto Cuitiño, called him last week to cancel the speech because of students’ complaints, though he declined to say how many students complained or which posts they objected to. Elghandour said the dean described the posts as “opposed to their beliefs” and acknowledged that he supports everyone “saying what they think” but that the students’ issue was “with you and your beliefs.” Elghandour added that there would be no new speaker at the event to avoid similar issues in the future.
A Rutgers spokesperson confirmed the decision in a statement, saying the engineering school was “informed that some graduating students would not attend their graduation ceremony due to concerns about the invited speaker’s social media posts.” The spokesperson did not elaborate on the posts but noted that the ceremony is one of many planned as part of graduation at Rutgers, a public university with more than 70,000 students. “This decision keeps the focus on our engineering students and honors the celebratory spirit of the event to ensure that no graduate feels forced to choose between their personal convictions and a convocation ceremony,” the spokesperson added.
Elghandour is described as an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights on social media, and he was an executive producer for the documentary “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which was nominated for an Oscar. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Elghandour expressed puzzlement at the cancellation, saying, “What is most puzzling to me is that they champion me for my humanitarian views and now they’re canceling me for them.”
The Jerusalem Post noted that the university cited the “inflammatory claim” in Elghandour’s tweet as the reason, and that the decision was made after discussions with the speaker. The outlet also reported that the tweet was in response to a post from California Representative Ro Khanna advocating for cutting US aid to Israel, which itself was a response to a post by AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobby.