An independent investigation commissioned by George Washington University , in Washington, D.C., acquitted Lara Sheehy , a professor of psychology, of charges of anti-Semitism after claiming that her views on Israel created a hostile environment for Jewish students.

The investigation came after the pro-Israel organization StandWithUs filed a complaint in January, alleging that Sheehy had discriminated against several Jewish students because of their Israeli or Zionist identity during the fall semester.

The well-known DC law firm, Cowell & Moring, which was appointed to conduct the university's investigation, found that there was no evidence Sheehy had discriminated against the students, or retaliated against them after their complaints.

In a statement released by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which represented the Palestinian-born Dr. Sheehy, Sheehy welcomed the findings and said she hoped the report's findings "send a clear message" to groups trying to "harass and silence" academics like herself.

"I am grateful for the investigators and the effort to document what I knew meticulously from day one: Those of us who fight for Palestinian liberation do not do so at the expense of our Jewish brothers, nor do we discriminate against, retaliate or isolate Jewish or Israeli students in our ranks," she said.

The university said in a summary of the law firm's findings on Monday (3/27/23) that "many of the statements that the complaint alleges were made by Dr. Sheehy, according to those who listened to them, were either inaccurate or taken out of context and distorted."

The Zionist group StandWithUs said in a statement that it did not agree with the university's investigation findings, that its complaint had been submitted to the Federal Education Administration, not the university, and could still proceed, according to Rose Rothstein, director of StandWithUs.

The summary of the investigation indicated that the dispute in Sheehy's course, which is compulsory for students of psychology, centered on how to define anti-Semitism. The abstract states that StandWithUs, and a few students in the class, advocated a broad view of the definition of anti-Semitism, which, if accepted in a university setting, could violate the principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom.

Sheehy, a psychoanalyst of Palestinian origin, has publicly participated in advocacy activities for the Palestinian cause outside the university campus, prompting StandWithUs to say that Sheehy made offensive comments to students during class.

George Washington University, one of the most important universities in Washington, D.C., which some have accused of anti-Semitism, announced the results of the investigation, while Sheehy declined to comment immediately after the decision was issued that acquitted her of the allegations against her. But in February, she published a defense in the progressive online magazine Counterpunch, saying that StandWithUs was seeking to "stoke controversy about my studies and activism throughout Palestine."

Sheehy said (in the cited article) that the students who participated in the complaint against her displayed a "disturbing level of anti-Black and Arab racism," and that she provided a comprehensive discussion and condemnation of anti-Semitism in her diversity-focused course.

The summary of the investigation found that Sheehy had "denounced anti-Semitism as a real and present danger".

More than 200 Jewish psychologists defended Sheehy following the complaint filed by StandWithUs, which she said resulted in threats and harassment.

Sheehy was represented by the Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee during the investigation, and Abdel Ayoub, the organization's director, praised the findings and said on social media, "This was a defamation campaign by StandWithUs."

“This whole ordeal reveals how influential groups like StandWithUs are in discrediting pro-Palestinian academics,” Ayoub said. "The findings of GW should set a precedent across all universities."