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University of Glasgow Rector Ghassan Abu-Sittah has ignited fierce controversy after posting a tweet equating the situation in Gaza with the Nazi-era “Final Solution.”
Abu-Sittah, a British-Palestinian plastic surgeon, wrote on social media that Gaza is “starving to death” and claimed the “Final Solution is up to us,” attributing responsibility to Western countries alongside “Israeli hands.”
Abu-Sittah’s incendiary comparison to the Holocaust has drawn sharp criticism, especially from Jewish groups who emphasize that such language fuels antisemitism. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism explicitly states that comparing Israeli policies to those of the Nazis constitutes antisemitic rhetoric. Furthermore, Abu-Sittah’s phrase “with Israeli hands” echoes longstanding antisemitic tropes about Jewish control and manipulation.
The controversy around Abu-Sittah is not new. Since his appointment as rector in April 2024, he has pushed to have the the University of Glasgow abandon the IHRA definition of antisemitism, arguing that it “conflates anti-Zionism with antisemitism.” All his formal pledges have centered on calls to divest from Israel or redefine antisemitism in ways that many see as undermining Jewish student safety and well-being.
Jewish student groups at the University of Glasgow have expressed profound concern over Abu-Sittah’s history of praising terrorists linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He has publicly lauded PFLP terrorists, including individuals responsible for deadly attacks, and called for “revolutionary violence” as a response to the conflict with Israel.
In 2018, writing for the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese media outlet Al Akhbar, Abu-Sittah celebrated a terrorist responsible for the murder of Rabbi Raziel Shevach, describing the attacker as a “hero” and framing violence as the only remaining weapon against what he called a “satanic alliance.”
Abu-Sittah was banned from entering Schengen countries in April 2024 after attempting to attend a conference in Germany, though a German court later overturned the ban, ruling it disproportionate.
His statements and actions continue to raise alarm about the safety and inclusion of Jewish students and staff at the University of Glasgow.
The IHRA’s definition remains the globally-recognized benchmark against which such rhetoric is assessed, highlighting how Abu-Sittah’s recent social media post falls within clear antisemitic parameters by promoting Holocaust inversion and harmful stereotypes.
