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Here’s Just Some of the Boycott and Protest Activity Being Aimed at Israel
As has been widely reported, activists with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeted their efforts on college campuses this year. The connections between campus protests organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace, far-left extremists, and communist organizations are now inescapable:
Documents indicate that Columbia University protest organizers were in contact with counterparts at Princeton University regarding strategy and tactics. Princeton organizers also received legal advice from the National Lawyers Guild.
An organizing guide was issued by the National SJP, and instructed students on occupying and fortifying campus buildings and made reference to the 1968 Columbia riots.
Reports indicate that a number of SJP members who received paid training by the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) were responsible for organizing encampments. The USCPR is funded by the Open Society Foundation and other far left foundations.
Anecdotal reports continue to indicate that more Jewish students are shunning elite universities in favor of institutions in the south. A letter from the heads of Israeli universities also decried the rise in antisemitism at American institutions, and offered assistance to Jewish students and faculty who wished to join their institutions. Brandeis University also extended its deadline for students to apply to transfer, specifically in order to allow as many Jewish students as necessary to relocate.
Student governments and other groups also continue efforts to remove Jewish members, including at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where a senator and the president were targeted. At Vanderbilt University the Multicultural Leadership Council also denied membership to Students Supporting Israel. Israeli or Jewish events have also been disrupted or shut down by protestors
Student BDS resolutions and referendums greatly accelerated in April. Only a selection are presented here:
Student governments at the Harvard Divinity School, School of Design, and Harvard Law School passed BDS resolutions. The Harvard Undergraduate Association halted consideration of all referendums after a BDS petition was put forward, which then prompted satirical petitions including “should Harvard remove Jews from its faculty?”
At Rutgers University, a divestment referendum and another calling on the university to end its relationship with Tel Aviv University were approved by the student body.
At Vassar College, a BDS bill was blocked from consideration by the student government after the administration warned that the group’s bylaws and state regulations opened it to lawsuits.
The Columbia University undergraduate student government shelved a resolution that would have required the organization to divest its funds from Israel, but the law school senate and graduate student association approved resolutions.
Cornell University undergraduates approved a divestment referendum.
The University of Maryland student government voted down a divestment resolution.
An important student government resolution was approved at Rutgers University that made Palestinians’ victimization at the hands of the Jews an official doctrine.
Student demands for divestment have been mostly rejected by university administrators and trustees, including at the University of California. At Yale University, the university announced that it would not divest from military industries, but would liquidate holdings in companies retailing “assault weapons” to the public.
Ongoing “negotiations” between administrations and protest organizers, however, produced concessions on divestment or ties to Israel to restore calm, particularly at smaller institutions like Bryn Mawr College. At Portland State University, the university decided to “temporarily” halt donations from aerospace giant Boeing as a concession to students.
Other examples of appeasement emerged at Northwestern University, where the administration negotiated an agreement with protestors to disperse most of their encampment in exchange for an “advisory committee on investment responsibility,” which includes students and faculty. Additional concessions include advising employers not to rescind job offers and to support two Palestinian faculty and five students at university expense. At Brown University, the administration agreed that the university corporation would hold a vote on divestment in October in return for students ending their encampment.
Faculty remain at the forefront of promoting campus anti-Israel bias and antisemitism. Only a sample are presented here:
A group of Princeton University faculty signed a letter vowing to boycott Columbia and Barnard until that university reversed the suspension of pro-Hamas students and organizations. A similar open letter was signed by 1,400 academics including faculty and graduate students from around the world.
A Princeton University faculty member temporarily occupied a building but withdrew before a university deadline.
At number of faculty members attempted to physically defend pro-Hamas occupiers ,which resulted in a number of arrests including at Columbia, Emory University, and New York University.
In one incident, the York University Department of Politics proposed that any defense of Israel be regarded as “anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic, and anti-Arab.” The report called for “a departmental definition of anti-Palestinian racism,” since, “The struggle for Palestinian self-determination will support the liberation of all humans and non-humans from colonial oppression” and since “Zionism is a settler colonial project and ethno-religious ideology in service of a system of Western imperialism that upholds global white supremacy.”
Similarly, the City University of New York faculty union announced a special meeting to consider five demands for the administration:
Divest! Immediately divest from ALL companies complicit in the imperialist- zionist genocide, including weapons, tech and surveillance, and construction companies. Commit to full financial transparency regarding CUNY’s institutional investments.
Boycott! Ban all academic trips to the Zionist state, encompassing birthright, Fulbright, and perspective trips. Cancel all forms of cooperation with Israeli academic institutions, including events, activities, agreements, and research collaborations.
Solidarity! Release a statement affirming the right of the Palestinian people to national liberation and the right of return. Protect CUNY students and workers who are attacked for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza and in solidarity with Palestinian liberation. Reinstate professors who have been fired for showing solidarity with Palestine.
Demilitarize! Demilitarize CUNY, Demilitarize Harlem! Get IOF and NYPD officers off all CUNY campuses, and end all collaboration, trainings and recruitment by imperialist institutions, including the CIA, Homeland Security and ROTC. Remove all symbols of US imperialism from our campuses: Rename the Colin Powell School of Global and Civic Leadership at CCNY and reinstate The Guillermo Morales and Assata Shakur Community and Student Center!
A People’s CUNY! We demand a fully-funded, free CUNY that is not beholden to zionist and imperialist private donors! Restore CUNY’s tuition-free status, protect the union, and adopt a fair contract for staff and faculty.
In the international sphere, reports continue regarding growing informal boycotts of Israeli academics and universities. One reports detail how European and American counterparts have ceased collaborations with Israelis, accused them of “genocide,” and succumbed to student pressure to disinvite Israeli speakers and collaborators.
Attention also continues to be paid to antisemitism and anti-Israel bias in K-12 education, especially “ethnic studies”:
Minnesota adopted a K-12 social studies curriculum emphasizing “decolonization,” which requires students to “describe how individuals and communities have fought” for “liberation against systemic and coordinated exercises of power.”
The Massachusetts Teachers Association is considering resolutions to divest pension funds from companies working in Israel, and to support the “liberation for Palestinians and a peaceful solution to the conflict in Palestine” through “Critical Race Theory” and “Critical Social Justice Ideology.”
Britain’s National Education Union issued a statement blaming Israel for the Gaza War and calling on its members to circulate “educational materials” with that message.
Outside of campus, protests earlier in April included the disruption of an Easter Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a New York City fundraiser attended by President Joe Biden, and former presidents Clinton and Obama (at which Jewish women were chased and called “murderous f****g kikes”), a sit-in outside the headquarters of Britain’s National, Health Service, a sit-in at the US Senate cafeteria at which 50 participants were arrested, and an attack on an Israel-Norway soccer match in Skien, which included fireworks and rocks aimed at police.
Anti-Israel protests in Britain continue every weekend, with infrequent arrests of protestors displaying swastikas and other proscribed symbols.
In heavily Jewish Teaneck, New Jersey, car caravans of Palestinians from nearby Patterson have become a regular occurrence. In one case, an event featuring Israeli first responders turned into a face-off between pro-Israel and pro-Hamas crowds.
Efforts to isolate Israel economically were the focus of the A15 global protests. Overall, except for the tourism sector, Israel’s economy appears to be weathering the Gaza war, including in the high tech and defense sectors. International ratings agencies were split regarding the economic outlook, with S&P following Moody’s in downgrading Israel’s credit rating. Long-term issues such as war risks, budget deficits, and government expenditures remain the main concerns rather than BDS.
International companies have also been targeted by the BDS movement. Some, like Starbucks, have no presence in Israel ,and the boycott was driven purely by rumors and by the perception of support from the company’s CEO. One real casualty has been McDonald’s, which has been targeted after its Israeli franchisee offered soldiers free meals, leading to widespread boycotts in Asia and a decline in revenue. In April, the conglomerate bought back the franchise after the retirement of its Israeli owner, leading to speculation that the company would withdraw entirely from the Israeli market.
The tech industry was also the focus of protests, including from Google employees who occupied several New York and California offices, including that of the Google Cloud president to demand the company cease all work in Israel, especially a cloud computing project for the government. Several were arrested, and several dozens were fired.
Ireland’s sovereign wealth fund divested its holdings of Israeli companies, including banks and supermarket chains, for their operations in the West Bank. The stated rationale was the “risk profile” of the companies rather than an explicit political statement. The Irish Communications Workers Union also passed a motion demanding the right for postal workers to not handle mail from Israel.
The author is a contributor to SPME, where a version of this article was originally published.
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Harvard Faculty Oppose Deal With Trump, Distancing From Hamas Apologists: Crimson Poll
Harvard University president Alan Garber attending the 373rd Commencement Exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, May 23, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
A recently published Harvard Crimson poll of over 1,400 Harvard faculty revealed sweeping opposition to interim university President Alan Garber’s efforts to strike a deal with the federal government to restore $3 billion in research grants and contracts it froze during the first 100 days of the second Trump administration.
In the survey, conducted from April 23 to May 12, 71 percent of arts and sciences faculty oppose negotiating a settlement with the administration, which may include concessions conservatives have long sought from elite higher education, such as meritocratic admissions, viewpoint diversity, and severe disciplinary sanctions imposed on students who stage unauthorized protests that disrupt academic life.
Additionally, 64 percent “strongly disagree” with shuttering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, 73 percent oppose rejecting foreign applicants who hold anti-American beliefs which are “hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence,” and 70 percent strongly disagree with revoking school recognition from pro-Hamas groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC).
“More than 98 percent of faculty who responded to the survey supported the university’s decision to sue the White House,” The Crimson reported. “The same percentage backed Harvard’s public rejection of the sweeping conditions that the administration set for maintaining the funds — terms that included external audits of Harvard’s hiring practices and the disciplining of student protesters.”
Alyza Lewin of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law told The Algemeiner that the poll results indicate that Harvard University will continue to struggle to address campus antisemitism on campus, as there is now data showing that its faculty reject the notion of excising intellectualized antisemitism from the university.
“If you, for example, have faculty teaching courses that are regularly denying that the Jews are a people and erasing the Jewish people’s history in the land of Israel, that’s going to undermine your efforts to address the antisemitism on your campus,” Lewin explained. “When Israel is being treated as the ‘collective Jew,’ when the conversation is not about Israel’s policies, when the criticism is not what the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism] would call criticism of Israel similar to that against any other country, they have to understand that it is the demonization, delegitimization, and applying a double standard to Jews as individuals or to Israel.”
She added, “Faculty must recognize … the demonization, vilification, the shunning, and the marginalizing of Israelis, Jews, and Zionists, when it happens, as violations of the anti-discrimination policies they are legally and contractually obligated to observe.”
The Crimson survey results were published amid reports that Garber was working to reach a deal with the Trump administration that is palatable to all interested parties, including the university’s left-wing social milieu.
According to a June 26 report published by The Crimson, Garber held a phone call with major donors in which he “confirmed in response to a question from [Harvard Corporation Fellow David M. Rubenstein] that talks had resumed” but “declined to share specifics of how Harvard expected to settle with the White House.”
On June 30, the Trump administration issued Harvard a “notice of violation” of civil rights law following an investigation which examined how it responded to dozens of antisemitic incidents reported by Jewish students since the 2023-2024 academic year.
The correspondence, sent by the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, charged that Harvard willfully exposed Jewish students to a torrent of racist and antisemitic abuse following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, which precipitated a surge in anti-Zionist activity on the campus, both in the classroom and out of it.
“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” wrote the four federal officials comprising the multiagency Task Force. “Harvard may of course continue to operate free of federal privileges, and perhaps such an opportunity will spur a commitment to excellence that will help Harvard thrive once again.”
The Trump administration ratcheted up pressure on Harvard again on Wednesday, reporting the institution to its accreditor for alleged civil rights violations resulting from its weak response to reports of antisemitic bullying, discrimination, and harassment following the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
Citing Harvard’s failure to treat antisemitism as seriously as it treated other forms of hatred in the past, The US Department of Educationthe called on the New England Commission of Higher Education to review and, potentially, revoke its accreditation — a designation which qualifies Harvard for federal funding and attests to the quality of the educational services its provides.
“Accrediting bodies play a significant role in preserving academic integrity and a campus culture conducive to truth seeking and learning,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Part of that is ensuring students are safe on campus and abiding by federal laws that guarantee educational opportunities to all students. By allowing anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Balancing Act: Lebanese President Aoun Affirms Hope for Peace with Israel, Balks At Normalization
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday carefully affirmed his country’s desire for peace with Israel while cautioning that Beirut is not ready to normalize relations with its southern neighbor.
Aoun called for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, according to a statement from his office, while reaffirming his government’s efforts to uphold a state monopoly on arms amid mounting international pressure on the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah to disarm.
“The decision to restrict arms is final and there is no turning back on it,” Aoun said.
The Lebanese leader drew a clear distinction between pursuing peace and establishing formal normalization in his country’s relationship with the Jewish state.
“Peace is the lack of a state of war, and this is what matters to us in Lebanon at the moment,” Aoun said in a statement. “As for the issue of normalization, it is not currently part of Lebanese foreign policy.”
Aoun’s latest comments come after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed interest last month in normalizing ties with Lebanon and Syria — an effort Jerusalem says cannot proceed until Hezbollah is fully disarmed.
Earlier this week, Aoun sent his government’s response to a US-backed disarmament proposal as Washington and Jerusalem increased pressure on Lebanon to neutralize the terror group.
While the details remain confidential, US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack said he was “unbelievably satisfied” with their response.
This latest proposal, presented to Lebanese officials during Barrack’s visit on June 19, calls for Hezbollah to be fully disarmed within four months in exchange for Israel halting airstrikes and withdrawing troops from its five occupied posts in southern Lebanon.
However, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem vowed in a televised speech to keep the group’s weapons, rejecting Washington’s disarmament proposal.
“How can you expect us not to stand firm while the Israeli enemy continues its aggression, continues to occupy the five points, and continues to enter our territories and kill?” said Qassem, who succeeded longtime terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah after Israel killed him last year.
“We will not be part of legitimizing the occupation in Lebanon and the region,” the terrorist leader continued. “We will not accept normalization [with Israel].”
Last fall, Israel decimated Hezbollah’s leadership and military capabilities with an air and ground offensive, following the group’s attacks on Jerusalem — which they claimed were a show of solidarity with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas amid the war in Gaza.
In November, Lebanon and Israel reached a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended a year of fighting between the Jewish state and Hezbollah.
Under the agreement, Israel was given 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese army and UN forces to take over security as Hezbollah disarms and moves away from Israel’s northern border.
However, Israel maintained troops at several posts in southern Lebanon beyond the ceasefire deadline, as its leaders aimed to reassure northern residents that it was safe to return home.
Jerusalem has continued carrying out strikes targeting remaining Hezbollah activity, with Israeli leaders accusing the group of maintaining combat infrastructure, including rocket launchers — calling this “blatant violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
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Peace Meals: Chef José Andrés Says ‘Good People’ On Both Sides of Gaza Conflict Ill-Served By Leaders, Food Can Bridge Divide
Chef and head of World Central Kitchen Jose Andres attends the Milken Institute Global Conference 2025 in Beverly Hills, California, US, May 5, 2025. Photo: Reuters/Mike Blake.
Renowned Spanish chef and World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder José Andrés called the Oct. 7 attack “horrendous” in an interview Wednesday and shared his hopes for reconciliation between the “vast majority” on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide who are “good people that very often are not served well by their leaders”
WCK is a US-based, nonprofit organization that provides fresh meals to people in conflict zones around the world. The charity has been actively serving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel. Since the Hamas attack, WCK has served more than 133 million meals across Gaza, according to its website.
The restaurateur and humanitarian has been quoted saying in past interviews that “sometimes very big problems have very simple solutions.” On Wednesday’s episode of the Wall Street Journal podcast “Bold Names,” he was asked to elaborate on that thought. He responded by saying he believes good meals and good leaders can help resolve issues between Israelis and Palestinians, who, he believes, genuinely want to live harmoniously with each other.
“I had people in Gaza, mothers, women making bread,” he said. “Moments that you had of closeness they were telling you: ‘What Hamas did was wrong. I wouldn’t [want] anybody to do this to my children.’ And I had Israelis that even lost family members. They say, ‘I would love to go to Gaza to be next to the people to show them that we respect them …’ And this to me is very fascinating because it’s the reality.
“Maybe some people call me naive. [But] the vast majority of the people are good people that very often are not served well by their leaders. And the simple reality of recognizing that many truths can be true at the same time in the same phrase that what happened on October 7th was horrendous and was never supposed to happen. And that’s why World Central Kitchen was there next to the people in Israel feeding in the kibbutz from day one, and at the same time that I defended obviously the right of Israel to defend itself and to try to bring back the hostages. Equally, what is happening in Gaza is not supposed to be happening either.”
Andres noted that he supports Israel’s efforts to target Hamas terrorists but then seemingly accused Israel of “continuously” targeting children and civilians during its military operations against the terror group.
“We need leaders that believe in that, that believe in longer tables,” he concluded. “It’s so simple to invest in peace … It’s so simple to do good. It’s so simple to invest in a better tomorrow. Food is a solution to many of the issues we’re facing. Let’s hope that … one day in the Middle East it’ll be people just celebrating the cultures that sometimes if you look at what they eat, they seem all to eat exactly the same.”
In 2024, WCK fired at least 62 of its staff members in Gaza after Israel said they had ties to terrorist groups. In one case, Israel discovered that a WCK employee named Ahed Azmi Qdeih took part in the deadly Hamas rampage across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Qdeih was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in November 2024.
In April 2024, the Israel Defense Forces received backlash for carrying out airstrikes on a WCK vehicle convoy which killed seven of the charity’s employees. Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said the airstrikes were “a mistake that followed a misidentification,” and Israel dismissed two senior officers as a result of the mishandled military operation.
The strikes “were not just some unfortunate mistake in the fog of war,” Andrés alleged.
“It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by” the Israeli military, he claimed in an op-ed published by Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot. “It was also the direct result of [the Israeli] government’s policy to squeeze humanitarian aid to desperate levels.”
In a statement on X, Andres accused Israel of “indiscriminate killing,” saying the Jewish state “needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon.”
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