More than 100 protesters gathered outside one Columbia University Building Tuesday evening in response to a appearance from the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the student newspaper of the university reported.
Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the School of International and Public Affairs’ Institute of Global Politics, and the Kraft Center for Jewish student life organized the event with Bennett in New York City.
“The discussion was an important part of our continuous mission to enable our students to explore, learn and grow intellectually,” said Brian Cohen, spokesperson for the Kraft Center of Columbia for Jewish student life, in a statement to Fox News Digital about Bennett’s visit. “The event went without disturbance. Unfortunately, the current campus dynamics forced us to open the event last night only to invited students.”
Cohen added that “(s) tudents of different backgrounds and political tendencies listened to a world leader and asked challenging questions-as they would expect at a World Class University.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside the campus of Columbia University in New York City during the visit of the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in New York on March 4, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anatolia)
Columbia JVP and the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition organized the protest against the event, according to The Columbia spectator. Countless anti-Israeli demonstrations have been held at university campuses in the United States since 7 October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel for the first time and revealed the beginning of a 15-month war that tens of thousands of people left dead.
“The university coordinated with Columbia Hillel in the field of public safety for their event with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, including with regard to any campus protest activity and to minimize possible disruptions of academic activities,” said Columbia University in a Wednesday statement. “The event was well attended and took place without a disturbance or interference.”
The school said that “Groups from outside” also protested the “Columbia community in public areas outside the gates of the university, which was responsible for managing the NYPD.”
“As always, we were checked to ensure that the activity on our campus was safe and we met our rules and policy, including the immediate enforcement of policy to prevent discrimination or focusing of our community members in any form,” the school said.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside Columbia University in New York City on March 4, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anatolia)
Three Barnard College -Students have recently been deported After breaking in the Hamilton Hall of Columbia in April last year.
“It is our duty to ensure that war criminals and genociders never feel welcomed on our campus, despite inviting groups such as Hillel,” said Columbia University Chapter or Jewish Voice for Peace (Columbia JVPP) in an Instagram post that announced a location for the protest.
The Instagram message contains photos of an e -mail invitation for the event in which those present are asked “Minimize discussing this event with others” and describing the identity of their guest as “confidential”.
“The group of people who tried to disrupt the event proved that this was a necessary precautionary measure,” Cohen said about the decision to have the event invited alone. “We are grateful that NYPD because of our careful planning prevented the demonstrators from going to the location. At any time, our event was influenced by the disruptions outside.
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“I am looking forward to the day on which we can again organize important educational opportunities for the broader university community,” said Cohen.
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Columbia University Jews for cease -Fires also issued a statement on Tuesday prior to the protests, and said that Barnard Hillel “has taken the vast majority of student body the opportunity to enter into a critical discourse with a chosen officer with true political power.”
“This is at odds with the repeated requirements of CBHillel for a campus culture that is open to dialogue, especially in view of the fact that this discussion is about the issue that led to such requirements,” the group wrote in his statement.
The protest came after President Donald Trump said earlier this week That “federal financing will stop for every university, school or university that makes illegal protests possible.”
A crowd gathered outside Columbia University to protest against the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett who visit the campus on March 4, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anatolia)
On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Education (ED) and the US General Services Administration (GSA) announced an assessment of the federal contracts and subsidies of Columbia in the light of recent anti-Israëlian protests “according to a press of the title of histributions of the title of histributions of the title of histributions,” Honing of the title of histributions, “Honing of the Title of Honing,” Honing of the Titles of Honing Bends, “Honing of the Title of Honing,” Honing of the Title of Honing, “Honing of the Title of Hans,”
The federal government’s task force to combat anti -Semitism is considering stopping $ 51.4 million in federal government contracts at the university, HHS said. The Task Force will also assess more than $ 5 billion in federal subsidy obligations at the Ivy League University.
“Anti-Semitism-as racism is a spiritual and moral ailment that diseases societies and kills people with deadliness that are similar to the most deadly plagues of history,” said secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. In a Monday statement. “In recent years, censorship and false stories of canceling the cancellation have transformed our large universities into greenhouses for this deadly and virulent plague. Making America healthy means building communities of trust and mutual respect, based on speech freedom and open debate.”
A NYPD officer intervenes as a pro-Israeli counter-protester tries to attack Pro-Palestinian demonstrators while gathering outside Columbia University in New York City to protest against the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s visit on March 4, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anatolia)
The recent Stakes -the -‘s -grant of Hamas and Israel, who paved the deadly war, has led Hamas to release 10 Israeli hostages and five Thai subjects on October 7, 2023, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and raised humanitarian aid in Gaza. Six Americans stay In Gaza.
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More than 46,000 Palestinians died in the war, half of whom are considered women and children, although that number could be higher, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. More than 90% of the approximately two million Palestinians who live in Gaza were displaced during the war.
Alexis Mcadams and Madison Colombo from Fox News have contributed to this report.
