SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The head of the University of California is condemning recent anti-Israel incidents on UC campuses.

In an open letter Thursday, UC President Mark Yudof called on students, faculty and staff members to “foster a climate of tolerance, civility and open-mindedness.”

Yudof denounced hecklers who disrupted an event called “Israeli Soldiers Speak Out” at UC Davis last week. He said it was reprehensible that one protester linked the speakers to rapists and murderers.

The university president also spoke out against vandals who defaced an Israeli flag with the word “terrorists” at UC Riverside earlier this week.

Yudof says UC administrators are working on revising policies to improve campus climate for all students and prevent acts motivated by religious and racial bias.

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