The leadership of the University of Pennsylvania's faculty senate condemned efforts to "intimidate" the university as a number of high-profile donors have cut ties with the Ivy League school.

Donors, including former U.S. Ambassador to Russia and China Jon Huntsman and Estee Lauder heir Ron Lauder, have closed their checkbooks to the school following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel.

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The terrorist attacks killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, while at least 4,000 have been killed in Israel's military response, according to local authorities. The donors have accused the school and university President Liz Magill of failing to confront antisemitism on campus.

The Thursday statement by the faculty senate tri-chairs contained an explicit commitment to free expression and academic freedom while eschewing the notion that institutional donations could sway academic discourse.

"Let us be clear: academic freedom is an essential component of a world-class university and is not a commodity that can be bought or sold by those who seek to use their pocketbooks to shape our mission," the statement read. "We stand in solidarity with all University of Pennsylvania faculty, staff, and students whose research, work, or study has been affected by the recent efforts of intimidation."

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The faculty leaders went on to say that academic freedom at the institution needed to remain free of "external pressure."

"Academic freedom is at the heart of our educational and research missions, and we demand that it remain free from internal or external pressure or coercion," they said.