(The Center Square) – The University of Maryland Student Government Association passed a resolution to ban all Israeli Defense Forces soldiers speakers from the university.
The measure passed 25-0 with one abstention on November 5, just weeks after a controversial October 21 event hosted by the student group Students Supporting Israel.
The gathering featured three IDF soldiers discussing their experiences in Gaza and strategies to combat antisemitism, according to reports from The Diamondback, UMD’s independent student newspaper.
The SGA resolution called on the school to condemn the event, issue a formal apology and ban any “speakers who have been found, or are being actively investigated for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, or systematic human rights violations” from being hosted on campus, according to The Diamondback.
SGA sponsor Zyad Khan cited a September 2025 United Nations report accusing Israel of “genocidal acts” in Gaza as justification, labeling IDF personnel as falling under the banned category.
During the October event, four people, including two protesters and two student journalists from Al-Hikmah, UMD’s Muslim student newspaper, were detained by UMD Police at the event. The resolution also calls for a formal apology to those detained and a mandated meeting with UMD President Darryll Pines to discuss policy reforms protecting student protesters and journalists.
The resolution wanted the university to formally apologize to the detained students and a meeting with UMD President Darryll Pines.
According to UMD policy, disrupting events on campus is prohibited. Protesters may demonstrate only outside the event building or give the speaker a respectful hearing inside the event space.
UMD did not respond to The Center Square’s request for comment.
In an Instagram post Wednesday night, this university’s Students Supporting Israel chapter defended the event, stating that academic freedom and open discourse with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives are essential to learning.
“The current SGA has repeatedly shown that they care more about their own agenda than the concerns of their constituents,” the group wrote. “We are tripling down on our goal to provide our community with a place for free, open, and healthy conversation and thought.”
Khan disagreed in his statements to The Diamondback, stating that “It was a double standard that the university decided that it was worth university resources to protect war criminals rather than their own students, considering students who vocally spoke out against this event were detained.”
