Pro-Palestine Students at Columbia University Protest Visit of Former Israeli Prime Minister
New York (Quds News Network)- Over 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered on Tuesday outside Columbia University to protest against the appearance of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett who is “widely known for his violent rhetoric and actions” against Palestinians.
“The decision to host a man with such a violent and openly discriminatory record sends a message that the university values some voices over others,” a spokesperson for Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition (CPSC), who organized the protest, said in a statement.
A university spokesperson told campus newspaper The Columbia Spectator that administrators had coordinated with the local Hillel chapter on safety preparations for the event “including with respect to any campus protest activity and to minimize potential disruptions to academic activities.”
“The event was well attended and took place without disruption or interference,” the spokesperson said.
In a statement ahead of the event calling for protest against Bennett’s visit, CPSC said it learned about the talk from a leaked email in which organizers sought to keep the gathering under the radar, urging that the speaker’s identity be kept confidential.
“The information in this email and the details of the event, including the identity of our guest, are confidential,” a copy of the email obtained by Spectator reads. “The invitation is non-transferable, so please minimize discussing this event with others.”
The Columbia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and CPSC co-organized the protest. The two organizations, along with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, promoted the protest in a joint Instagram post on Tuesday.
The joint Instagram post about the protest displayed a picture of the email, and added “What exactly are they trying to hide?” in the caption.
“It is our duty to ensure that war criminals and genociders never feel welcomed on our campus, despite invitations from groups such as Hillel,” the post read.
CPSC’s described Bennett as “widely known for his violent rhetoric and actions.”
CPSC also cited two past statements attributed to Bennett. In 2018, when he was education minister and three years before he became prime minister, Bennett said he would instruct the army to shoot and kill Palestinian children who breach the border fence with Gaza, saying, “They are not children — they are terrorists.”
He was also cited by CPSC over a remark he reportedly made in 2013 in which he said, “I’ve killed lots of Arabs in my life – and there’s no problem with that.”
THE STUDENTS UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!! FREE PALESTINE ❤️🔥❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/0kHOaZWq1m
— Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition (CPSC) (@Columbia_psc) March 5, 2025
Protesters from the Neturei Karta—a group of anti-Zionist Haredi Jews—joined the pro-Palestinian protesters, holding signs reading “Judaism Condemns the State of ‘Israel’ and its atrocities.”
Protesters walked on 114th Street to Amsterdam Avenue and stood near the Law School on 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue at around 7:20 p.m. At around 7:30 p.m., a banner that read “War criminal off our campus” and “Free Palestine” was unfurled on Law Bridge.
“Say it clear and say it loud, Naftali Bennett off campus now,” protesters chanted.
Protesters gathered outside of the International Affairs Building, chanting “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” and waving Palestinian flags.
“This isn’t about Jewish. This isn’t about Arab. This is about supremacy. Right now, unfortunately, it’s Jewish supremacy. And we’re here to say, that under no circumstances, do we approve of ethnic cleansing,” one protester said, holding a sign reading “Jews say no to ethnic cleansing.”
At around 8 p.m., protesters gathered around the entrance of the International Affairs Building again, waving signs and chanting.
At around 8:15 p.m., protesters placed stickers on the windows of the International Affairs Building which depicted an individual in a keffiyeh and the words “Land back now” and “Palestine will be free.”
Protesters began dispersing at around 8:25 p.m., chanting “We’ll be back” as they left.
New York police separated pro-Palestinian protesters from counterprotesters carrying Israeli and American flags, though the two demonstrations passed without any incident.
On Monday, the US government announced that it was considering terminating contracts at Columbia University worth more than $50 million, accusing it of “campus antisemitism” and failing to protect its Jewish students amid protests.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump also stated on Truth Social that “all federal funding” will be cut for schools and universities “that allow illegal protests,” without specifying which institutions he was referring to.
