The Louisiana Freedom Caucus is condemning a student-sponsored event scheduled for Thursday night at Tulane University that accuses Israel of the “weaponization of infectious diseases” in Gaza.
The event, titled “Israel’s Weaponization of Infectious Disease in Gaza,” is scheduled for October 22 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Lake Theater on Tulane’s New Orleans campus.
According to Tulane’s event listing, the program is being organized by the Palestine Solidarity Coalition, the Minority Association of Pre-Med Students and other registered student organizations.
The featured speaker is Dr. Salman Khan, an infectious-disease specialist and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Tulane says Khan traveled to Gaza on a medical mission earlier this year and is expected to discuss infectious disease, public health conditions and the impact of the ongoing conflict on civilians.
The Louisiana Freedom Caucus issued a statement Thursday accusing the event of promoting antisemitic rhetoric and calling on Tulane administrators to cancel or publicly disavow it.
The caucus argued that allegations that Israel is intentionally using disease as a weapon echo longstanding antisemitic accusations against Jewish people.
“This is especially troubling at Tulane University, which has one of the highest concentrations of Jewish undergraduates in the country,” Louisiana Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Beryl Amedée said.
The group also criticized Tulane for allowing recognized student organizations to use university facilities and institutional resources for the event.
The caucus is calling on Tulane leadership to strengthen standards surrounding antisemitic harassment and ensure Jewish students receive equal protection under university policies.
Tulane’s official event description does not characterize the presentation as antisemitic. Instead, it describes the program as a discussion of conditions in Gaza and the spread of infectious disease during the war.
Khan has previously argued that overcrowding, damaged infrastructure, poor sanitation, malnutrition and disruptions to health care have contributed to disease outbreaks in Gaza.
Critics dispute the characterization of those conditions as deliberate “weaponization” by Israel.
The controversy places Tulane in the middle of a broader national debate over the limits of campus speech, the treatment of Jewish students and the responsibility of universities when hosting politically charged events.
As of Thursday morning, the event remained listed on Tulane University’s official calendar.
Whether Tulane officials will respond to the Louisiana Freedom Caucus before the event begins remains to be seen.
Sources
Tulane University
Israel’s Weaponization of Infectious Disease in Gaza
https://events.tulane.edu/content/israels-weaponization-infectious-disease-gaza
Louisiana Freedom Caucus
October 22, 2026 Press Release
JNS
Tulane Student Groups to Host Talk Accusing Israel of Disease ‘Weaponization’ in Gaza
https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/tulane-student-groups-to-host-talk-accusing-israel-of-disease-weaponization-in-gaza
