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Although Some Schools Are Cracking Down, Anti-Israel Sentiment Still Reaches Students

Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) members occupying an administrative building at Barnard College on Feb. 26, 2025. Photo: Screenshot

The first full month of the Trump Administration has proven consequential for addressing BDS and antisemitism. Universities and corporations continue to adjust their operations to appear in compliance with Executive Orders regarding DEI and discrimination ,but lawsuits and expressions of defiance are increasing especially from faculty. Growing reports regarding discrimination against Jews within the medical profession have also included open threats of violence. These are matched by increasingly blatant defenses of anti-Israel bias and antisemitism from leaders of teachers unions.

Protests and attacks against Jews and Israelis continued in February, even after the return of the Bibas family, who had been kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and murdered in captivity. Notable examples included:

Conversely, in an incident in Miami, a Jewish man shot two Israelis he apparently believed were Palestinians.

University Administrations

University administrations continue to deal with the implications of Trump Administration Executive Orders and other changes.

variety of lawsuits have been filed by universities to block various administration moves, including defunding USAID and Department of Education programs, as well as dismantling DEI at many levels. Universities have also announced new financial oversight, hiring freezes, and other measures.

Universities continue to make it clear that divestment is dead.

The latest example was Boston University announcing that it would not consider divesting from Israel. Universities are also being forced to give the appearance of cracking down further on Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters.

The UCLA chapter was suspended after members vandalized the home of a university trustee and threatened his family. Chapters at McMaster University, the University of Michigan, and Rowan University were also suspended with the University of Pittsburgh considering similar sanctions. The Rowan University chapter, however, was quickly reinstated while the Michigan group held a rally off-campus. The SJP at Chapman University was also stripped of its Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Award.

In an unusual move, Barnard College expelled two unidentified students who were involved in disrupting a Columbia class on Israel, in violation of the school’s policies — and universities continue to revise policies to address pro-Hamas encampments and building takeovers.

Court cases against student and associated protestors are also proceeding:

  • The trial of eight former CUNY students facing felony charges after being arrested at an encampment was adjourned by New York Supreme Civil Court. Plea deal negotiations continue in advance of a May trial date;
  • A Federal judge has allowed a suit filed by Jewish students against Cooper Union to proceed. The students had been trapped in a library by protestors. The judge commented that “These events took place in 2023—not 1943—and Title VI places responsibility on colleges and universities to protect their Jewish students from harassment, not on those students to hide themselves away in a proverbial attic or attempt to escape from a place they have a right to be;” and
  • Eleven students from Case Western Reserve University were indicted for causing over $400,000 damage to university property during a protest;

But university capitulations to pro-Hamas protestors also continued in February:

  • Columbia University added “anti-Palestinian discrimination” to its list of proscribed behaviors. The terms is typically used in secondary and higher education concerns to mean that questioning any Palestinian narratives such as the “Nakba” is de facto evidence of racist discrimination;
  • The University of Washington announced formation of a “Palestine Studies” committee. The creation of “Palestine Studies” had been a specific demand of pro-Hamas protestors who had vandalized the campus in 2024. A university official claimed the institution “seeks to deepen our tri-campus expertise in the scholarship of Palestine, across the range of existing academic units;”
  • Hunter College announced a search for a “Palestinian Studies” specialist with expertise in “settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender and sexuality.” The job listing added the “Ideal candidates will also have a record of public engagement and community action.” After news reports New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the listing removed and called for “a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom.” Faculty members then complained about the Hunter’s “climate of fear” and Hochul’s “unprecedented overstep in authority;”

Conversely, after a two year investigation, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights found that George Washington University had retaliated against Jewish students who had filed complaints against psychology professor Lara Sheehi. The students had been placed under remediation when they complained about Sheehi’s classroom expressions of hatred for Israel. Sheehi has since moved to an institution in Qatar.

Internationally, an extensive survey of Jewish students at British universities revealed widespread incidents of harassment and intimidation with verbal abuse, assault, and discrimination commonplace. University officials claimed to be “deeply troubled” by the report, as was Education Secretary Bridgit Phillipson.

Faculty

Efforts to aid pro-Hamas protestors by individual faculty members and organizations continued in February. One example was legal support offered to protestors charged with blocking access roads to O’Hare Airport by Northwestern University’s Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic. The university’s support for the protestors is now the subject of a lawsuit, which alleges the institution is misusing public funds.

Other expressions of faculty defiance regarding Israel and Jews were common in February:

Faculty members and programs continue to promote anti-Israel viewpoints inside and outside the classroom, thereby lending them respectability and worsening campus environments:

A recent study noted that one reason why universities have been increasingly radicalized is that significant numbers of faculty members have been hired through diversity-focused fellow-to-faculty models. These effectively bypass departmental and college hiring mechanisms and place “scholar-activists” into tenure track positions as means to rectify alleged race and gender imbalances.

Discriminatory efforts aimed at Israelis, Jews, and supporters of Israel continued in February. A report by Israel’s Association of University Heads indicates some 500 complaints have been filed by Israeli academics since October 7th regarding boycotts and discrimination.

Cooperation with Spanish universities has halted completely while Dutch and Belgian universities announced the end of agreements with Israeli counterparts. Severe difficulties in publishing in academic journals and books was also reported, as was receiving funding from overseas sources. The report also suggested that negative faculty reactions to the Trump Administration may spur additional discrimination from American academics.

An institutional boycott of Israel and Israeli scholars was announced by the University of Iceland School of Education. Cancelation of pro-Israel scholars continue, such as the removal of an Israeli researcher from an international astrophysics project.

Another example emerged in Finland where talks by a specialist on anti-Zionism in Russia were canceled after protests by pro-Palestinian factions. More positively, the International Studies Association defeated a BDS resolution.

Students

Protests and other actions against Israel and Jews continue to be staged by students:

In response to the Trump Administration’s stated goal of identifying and deporting foreign students expressing support for Hamas and terrorism, reports indicate that more students are scrubbing their social media and other online evidence.

Despite the nearly complete shutdown of divestment by university administrations, BDS resolutions, referendums, and demands for financial disclosure continue to be debated and passed by student governments, including Harvard Law SchoolMichigan State UniversityBoston UniversityConcordia University, and the University of Connecticut.

The 2024 capitulation by the University of Windsor, which has no investments in Israel, to its pro-Hamas encampment is also now the subject of litigation. Other Canadian universities have rejected BDS proposals, but the campaigns have become increasing radical and pro-Hamas. At San Jose State University the student government voted to demand an end its study abroad program at the University of Haifa.

K-12

Efforts to transform secondary education by centering anti-Zionism and thus antisemitism as part of “anticolonial” and “ethnic studies” continue to intensify.

Some districts, such as the Shoreline Public School District in King County, Washington, are publicly redoubling their commitment to DEI, ethnic studies, and partnerships with organizations such as CAIR.

Teachers unions also continue to be at the forefront of anti-Israel pedagogy.

Testimony by the head of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) before the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism, was marked by continual denials of antisemitic content or intent, despite materials being projected during the hearing. Merrie Najimy of the MTA Rank and File for Palestine, accused the commission of “anti-Palestinian racism” during the hearing and claimed a Jewish child would be welcome in Gaza.

After the incident received national attention, the MTA agreed to remove materials from its website but Page and Najimy redoubled their complaints about “cherrypicked” materials and calls for educators to “teach Palestine.’” The MTA Rank and File for Palestine was also permitted to table at the union’s winter conference.

Teacher training also remains a key area for anti-Israel indoctrination including specifically on antisemitism:

  • The United Teachers Los Angeles union contracted with PARCEO, which has developed a Curriculum on Antisemitism From a Perspective of Collective Liberation. The curriculum, developed by an individual who had previous developed “Nakba” materials, focuses exclusively on right wing and Christian nationalist antisemitism, and ignores left wing and Muslim antisemitism. It also specifically states that anti-Zionism cannot be antisemitism;
  • The National Education Association-Educators for Palestine held a webinar on the “A to Z (from apartheid to Zionism”) of “educator activism” and “educators advocating for the liberation of Palestine and other related important topics around justice in education spaces;”
  • The NYC Educators for Palestine collective advertised the “The People’s Fair for Gaza”, to raise money for Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA), which has been alleged to have links to terror; and
  • A bill introduced into the New Hampshire House of Representatives would require Holocaust education including “5 hours of study to include, at minimum, instruction on the United Nations (UN) definition of genocide, the UN resolution on human rights, the Holocaust (and other Nazi committed genocides), the Armenian genocide, the Rwandan genocide, the genocide of indigenous peoples in the United States, and the Palestinian genocide;”

After a length period of litigation, the Santa Ana Unified School District reached a settlement and agreed to stop using antisemitic ethnic studies materials. The lawsuit had also alleged harassment and bullying of students, and it was revealed that the “Ethnic Studies Steering Committee” had deliberately held meetings on Jewish holidays to limit input and derided concerned Jewish parents as “racists.”

In partial response to the continuing crises over ethnic studies in California, state legislators have now introduced a bill to create statewide standards for teachers, along with provisions for greater transparency.

Despite continued focus on anti-Israel and antisemitic content in secondary education, including increasing attention to sources such as the Qatar Foundation, the negative effects on students appears unabated.

Recent polls showing significant increases in antisemitism among younger people demonstrates the impact of education. While other polls suggest that the majority Americans remain opposed to antisemitism, Hamas, and calls for Israel to be exterminated, a growing number regard boycotts as legitimate.

The author is a contributor to SPME, where a significantly different version of this article first appeared.

The post Although Some Schools Are Cracking Down, Anti-Israel Sentiment Still Reaches Students first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Switzerland Moves to Close Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Geneva Office Over Legal Irregularities

Palestinians carry aid supplies received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo

Switzerland has moved to shut down the Geneva office of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed aid group, citing legal irregularities in its establishment.

The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May, implementing a new aid delivery model aimed at preventing the diversion of supplies by Hamas, as Israel continues its defensive military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group.

The initiative has drawn criticism from the UN and international organizations, some of which have claimed that Jerusalem is causing starvation in the war-torn enclave.

Israel has vehemently denied such accusations, noting that, until its recently imposed blockade, it had provided significant humanitarian aid in the enclave throughout the war.

Israeli officials have also said much of the aid that flows into Gaza is stolen by Hamas, which uses it for terrorist operations and sells the rest at high prices to Gazan civilians.

With a subsidiary registered in Geneva, the GHF — headquartered in Delaware — reports having delivered over 56 million meals to Palestinians in just one month.

According to a regulatory announcement published Wednesday in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) may order the dissolution of the GHF if no creditors come forward within the legal 30-day period.

The Trump administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Swiss decision to shut down its Geneva office.

“The GHF confirmed to the ESA that it had never carried out activities in Switzerland … and that it intends to dissolve the Geneva-registered branch,” the ESA said in a statement.

Last week, Geneva authorities gave the GHF a 30-day deadline to address legal shortcomings or risk facing enforcement measures.

Under local laws and regulations, the foundation failed to meet several requirements: it did not appoint a board member authorized to sign documents domiciled in Switzerland, did not have the minimum three board members, lacked a Swiss bank account and valid address, and operated without an auditing body.

The GHF operates independently from UN-backed mechanisms, which Hamas has sought to reinstate, arguing that these vehicles are more neutral.

Israeli and American officials have rejected those calls, saying Hamas previously exploited UN-run systems to siphon aid for its war effort.

The UN has denied those allegations while expressing concerns that the GHF’s approach forces civilians to risk their safety by traveling long distances across active conflict zones to reach food distribution points.

The post Switzerland Moves to Close Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Geneva Office Over Legal Irregularities first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Key US Lawmaker Warns Ireland of Potential Economic Consequences for ‘Antisemitic Path’ Against Israel

US Sen. James Risch (R-ID) speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Washington, DC, May 21, 2024. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-ID) issued a sharp warning Tuesday, accusing Ireland of embracing antisemitism and threatening potential economic consequences if the Irish government proceeds with new legislation targeting Israeli trade.

“Ireland, while often a valuable U.S. partner, is on a hateful, antisemitic path that will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering,” Risch wrote in a post on X. “If this legislation is implemented, America will have to seriously reconsider its deep and ongoing economic ties. We will always stand up to blatant antisemitism.”

Marking a striking escalation in rhetoric from a senior US lawmaker, Risch’s comments came amid growing tensions between Ireland and Israel, which have intensified dramatically since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Those attacks, in which roughly 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 taken hostage, prompted a months-long Israeli military campaign in Gaza that has drawn widespread international scrutiny. Ireland has positioned itself as one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s response, accusing the Israeli government of disproportionate use of force and calling for immediate humanitarian relief and accountability for the elevated number of Palestinian civilian casualties.

Dublin’s stance has included tangible policy shifts. In May 2024, Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state, becoming one of the first European Union members to do so following the outbreak of the war in Gaza. The move was condemned by Israeli officials, who recalled their ambassador to Ireland and accused the Irish government of legitimizing terrorism. Since then, Irish lawmakers have proposed further measures, including legislation aimed at restricting imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, policies viewed in Israel and among many American lawmakers as aligning with the controversial Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

While Irish leaders have defended their approach as grounded in international law and human rights, critics in Washington, including Risch, have portrayed it as part of a broader pattern of hostility toward Israel. Some US lawmakers have begun raising the possibility of reevaluating trade and diplomatic ties with Ireland in response.

Risch’s warning is one of the clearest indications yet that Ireland’s policies toward Israel could carry economic consequences. The United States is one of Ireland’s largest trading partners, and American companies such as Apple, Google, Meta and Pfizer maintain substantial operations in the country, drawn by Ireland’s favorable tax regime and access to the EU market.

Though the Trump administration has not echoed Risch’s warning, the remarks reflect growing unease in Washington about the trajectory of Ireland’s foreign policy. The State Department has maintained a careful balancing act, expressing strong support for Israel’s security while calling for increased humanitarian access in Gaza. Officials have stopped short of condemning Ireland’s actions directly but have expressed concern about efforts they see as isolating Israel on the international stage.

Ireland’s stance is emblematic of a growing international divide over the war. While the US continues to provide military and diplomatic backing to Israel, many European countries have called for an immediate ceasefire and investigations into alleged war crimes.

Irish public opinion has long leaned pro-Palestinian, and Irish lawmakers have repeatedly voiced concern over the scale of destruction in Gaza and the dire humanitarian situation.

Irish officials have not yet responded to The Algemeiner’s request for comment.

The post Key US Lawmaker Warns Ireland of Potential Economic Consequences for ‘Antisemitic Path’ Against Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israel Condemns Iran’s Suspension of IAEA Cooperation, Urges Europe to Reinstate UN Sanctions

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at a press conference in Berlin, Germany, June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang/File Photo

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Wednesday condemned Iran’s decision to halt cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog and called on the international community to reinstate sanctions to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Iran has just issued a scandalous announcement about suspending its cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),” Saar wrote in a post on X. “This is a complete renunciation of all its international nuclear obligations and commitments.”

Last week, the Iranian parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA “until the safety and security of [the country’s] nuclear activities can be guaranteed.”

“The IAEA and its Director-General are fully responsible for this sordid state of affairs,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X.

The top Iranian diplomat said this latest decision was “a direct result of [IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi’s] regrettable role in obfuscating the fact that the Agency — a full decade ago — already closed all past issues.

“Through this malign action,” Araghchi continued, “he directly facilitated the adoption of a politically-motivated resolution against Iran by the IAEA [Board of Governors] as well as the unlawful Israeli and US bombings of Iranian nuclear sites.”

On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian approved a bill banning UN nuclear inspectors from entering the country until the Supreme National Security Council decides that there is no longer a threat to the safety of its nuclear sites.

In response, Saar urged European countries that were part of the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal to activate its “snapback” clause and reinstate all UN sanctions lifted under the agreement.

Officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), this accord between Iran and several world powers imposed temporary restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

During his first term, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reinstated unilateral sanctions on Iran.

“The time to activate the Snapback mechanism is now! I call upon the E3 countries — Germany, France and the UK to reinstate all sanctions against Iran!” Saar wrote in a post on X.

“The international community must act decisively now and utilize all means at its disposal to stop Iranian nuclear ambitions,” he continued.

Saar’s latest remarks come after Araghchi met last week in Geneva with his counterparts from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas — their first meeting since the Iran-Israel war began.

Europe is actively urging Iran to reengage in talks with the White House to prevent further escalation of tensions, but has yet to address the issue of reinstating sanctions.

Speaking during an official visit to Latvia on Tuesday, Saar said that “Operation Rising Lion” — Israel’s sweeping military campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities — has “revealed the full extent of the Iranian regime’s threat to Israel, Europe, and the global order.”

“Iran deliberately targeted civilian population centers with its ballistic missiles,” Saar said at a press conference. “The same missile threat can reach Europe, including Latvia and the Baltic states.”

“Israel’s actions against the head of the snake in Iran contributed directly to the safety of Europe,” the Israeli top diplomat continued, adding that Israeli strikes have set back the Iranian nuclear program by many years.

The post Israel Condemns Iran’s Suspension of IAEA Cooperation, Urges Europe to Reinstate UN Sanctions first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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