Rutgers University rescinds invitation to graduation speaker over anti-Israel comments

Rutgers University has rescinded its invitation to a graduation speaker, saying his anti-Israel comments make some uncomfortable.

Rami Elghandour, chairman and CEO of the biotechnology company Arcellx, was scheduled to speak at the Rutgers School of Engineering convocation ceremony on May 15.

Rami Elghandour reacts to cancellation

Rutgers cited a social media post from April 20 where Elghandour wrote Israel has "committed genocide. They're running dungeons where they train dogs to sexually assault prisoners ... Weapons embargo is the absolute minimum. Sanctions and diplomatic isolation are beyond justified. This we'll sell them weapons won't fly …"

Israel and its supporters reject the term "genocide," calling actions in Gaza self-defense against the terror group Hamas.

The university released a statement saying, "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."

Elghandour called the decision "heartbreaking and disappointing."

"I have not and will not waver on my principles. I stand by my commitment to human rights and American democracy. Only those who fear the truth leverage institutional power to silence it," he wrote in a statement, in part.

Elghandour said he would record a video of the speech he had planned to deliver and post it online.

CBS News New York reached out to Elghandour, but did not hear back.

Mixed reactions to speech cancellation

Rabbi Yosef Carlebach, who leads Rutgers Chabad, calls Elghandour's post disturbing.

"Sometimes we may be angry for whatever the reason, but to go to that exaggeration level of using words such as dogs and dungeons," he said.

Carlebach said he got complaints about Elghandour.

"We are very happy that the people at the head of the school realized that they made a mistake. We hope that they are more careful with who they choose in the future, and that their choices of people are going to be people that encourage peace," he said.

Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations New Jersey (CAIR-NJ) is blasting the university's decision.

"It's not like any of his speech was hateful speech or bigoted speech. It was calling for an end to genocide, calling for human rights and accountability," CAIR-NJ Public Affairs Director Naureen Akhter said. "So it was disappointing, especially this happened just, I wanna say, two weeks after Rutgers welcomed IDF soldiers on campus."

She added, "I think this sends a clear message to the Rutgers community, to the community at large about whose interests and whose comfort levels they take into consideration."

A replacement speaker has not yet been announced.