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Columbia University Bans Pro-Hamas Classroom Agitators From Campus
A pro-Hamas demonstrator uses a megaphone at Columbia University, on the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in New York City, US, Oct. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
Columbia University has banned from its campus multiple masked individuals who disrupted an active class last week and proceeded to utter pro-Hamas statements while distributing antisemitic literature.
“The university has identified two additional participants who are not Columbia students but are from an unaffiliated institution,” Columbia’s public affairs office said in a statement issued on Monday. “These participants have been barred from Columbia’s campus and referred to their home institution for further investigation and discipline.”
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the agitators stormed into Professor Avi Shilon’s course, titled “History of Modern Israel,” on the first day of classes of the new semester last Tuesday. Clad in keffiyehs, which were wrapped on their faces to conceal their identities, they read prepared remarks which described the course as “Zionist and imperialist” and a “normalization of genocide.”As part of their performance, which they appeared to film, they dropped flyers, one of which contained an illustration of a lifted boot preparing to trample a Star of David. Next to the drawing was a message that said, “Crush Zionism.”
The incident set off an explosion of responses on social media. The US House Committee on Education and the Workforce — now chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) — warned that such behavior “will no longer be tolerated in the Trump administration,” while Columbia University professor and activist Shai Davidai demanded “strong action.” Later, Shilon said in an op-ed published by the Israeli publication Ynetnews that Columbia needs to “reevaluate” its safety policies, noting that students should not be able to “walk around wearing masks.”
Wrote Shilon, “Since I had arrived in New York just a few days before the course began, and I was convinced that the protests from last year had already subsided, the moment I saw the masked men my first instinct was to think they were terrorists. After a second, I regained my composure and stood up toward them. I looked at the students in the classroom: they all continued to sit, perhaps frightened, perhaps disturbed.”
Following the incident, Columbia suspended one of the students involved in it, quelling concerns that school officials would do nothing to hold the agitators accountable. Additionally, interim university president Katrina Armstrong has since said that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) may be asked to help preserve law and order on school grounds.
“Unfortunately, recent events have shown that our community continues to a face a significant risk of disruption on the Morningside campus, including from outside demonstrators, threatening our community members’ sense of safety, and creating the potential need to bring the NYPD on campus,” Armstrong said in a statement issued on Jan. 25. “We have a duty to ensure that everyone in our community is safe, feels welcome, and can fully participate in our academic mission.”
Columbia University has allegedly refused to levy disciplinary sanctions against anti-Zionist agitators in the past.
In August, the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce denounced university officials for punishing only a few of the anti-Zionist activists who last spring occupied an administrative building and staged a riot which prompted the university to advise Jews to refrain from coming to campus. According to documents shared by the committee, 18 of the 22 students who were given disciplinary charges for their role in the incident were later upgraded to “good standing” despite the university’s earlier pledge to expel them. Another 31 of 35 who were suspended for illegally occupying the campus with a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” were restored to good standing as well.
Amnestying those students was “disgraceful and unacceptable,” former education committee chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said at the time.
She added, “By allowing its own disciplinary process to be thwarted by radical students and faculty, Columbia has waved the white flag in surrender while offering up a get-out-of-jail-free card to those who participated in these unlawful actions.”
Columbia University’s handling of campus antisemitism and political extremism will continue to be scrutinized, as it is now legally bound, via a civil settlement, to protect the civil rights of Jewish students. In June 2024, it settled a lawsuit in which it was accused by a student of neglecting its obligation to foster a safe learning environment amid riotous pro-Hamas protests that were held at the school throughout the final weeks of the academic year.
The resolution of the case called for Columbia to hire a “Safe Passage Liaison” who will monitor protests and “walking escorts” who will accompany students whose safety is threatened around the campus. Other details of the settlement include “accommodations” for students whose academic lives are disrupted by protests and new security policies for controlling access to school property.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Columbia University Bans Pro-Hamas Classroom Agitators From Campus first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Canada vs Israel Davis Cup Match in Halifax Will Be Closed to Fans Due to ‘Safety Concerns’
Israeli athletes competing in the Davis Cup 2025 Qualifiers Israel vs. Germany. Photo: IMAGO/Paul Zimmer via Reuters Connect
A series of Davis Cup World Group matches between Canada and Israel will be played this weekend in Halifax in a closed venue without any fans in attendance due to safety concerns, organizers announced Tuesday.
Tennis Canada said its decision to close off the Canada vs Israel matches on Friday and Saturday was made in consultation with the International Tennis Federation in light of “escalating safety concerns” by local authorities and national security agencies. The games were originally scheduled to take place at the Scotiabank Center, but it remains unclear if the venue is being changed. The series of matches will determine which country advances to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers.
“Intelligence received from local authorities and national security agencies, combined with disruptions witnessed at other recent events both in Canada and internationally, indicated a risk of significant disruption to this event,” Tennis Canada explained. “Ensuring the safety of everyone involved, including athletes, fans, staff, volunteers, and minors, such as ball kids, remains our top priority.” Ticket holders will receive a full refund within 30 days.
Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv said the “difficult decision” was made to maintain the organization’s “responsibility to protect people while ensuring that this Davis Cup tie can still take place.”
“We were forced to conclude that playing behind closed doors was the only way to both safeguard those involved and preserve the event itself,” Ziv explained. “While this outcome is very disappointing, it allows the tie to proceed in Halifax and ensures that our athletes can continue to compete at the highest international level. We are looking forward to returning to Halifax with Team Canada in the coming years to ensure we can fulfill our mission of promoting tennis and creating opportunities for fans and players to engage with the sport in Nova Scotia and across the country.”
Media will also not be allowed to attend the games. Halifax Regional Police did not say if the Israeli team received direct threats but noted that its local officers will be present at the games, according to the Associated Press. The tie will be broadcast on television on TVA Sports, and available for viewing online via CBC Sports’ livestream on CBC Gem, Cbcsports.ca, and the CBC Sports YouTube channel.
The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs criticized the decision. “We all want to know: Are we a nation governed by peace, order, and good government? Or do we let fear and intimidation dictate our way of life?” CIJA wrote in a post on X.
“Cheering for Team Canada is part of what it means to be Canadian. Yet, a small group of extremists have hijacked the Davis Cup, silencing thousands of fans — many of whom traveled from afar — who simply wanted to show pride in their country,” CIJA CEO Noah Shack said in a separate statement. “Tennis Canada’s decision was made to protect Canadians in the face of serious threats. It is unacceptable that hate, harassment, and intimidation have made it unsafe to support our athletes in our own country.”
Tennis Canada faced pressure last month from hundreds of anti-Israel activists — including Canadian athletes and academics, and Olympic runner Moh Ahmed — to cancel the Davis Cup match-up with Israel because of its military actions in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war. Both ITF and Tennis Canada insisted that Israel will not be banned from the competition.
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Israel ‘Did Exactly What America Did’: Netanyahu Justifies Qatar Strike, Compares Oct. 7 to 9/11 Terrorist Attack
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during ‘Christian Conference’ in Jerusalem, July 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
On the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified Israel’s recent military strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar and compared the al Qaeda suicide attacks on US soil to the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel’s strike on Tuesday, which targeted Hamas leaders based in Qatar, was widely criticized by governments around the world, including France, Britain, Turkey, and the US. American President Donald Trump said the strike in Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals” while Qatar’s prime minister accused Israel of derailing Gaza ceasefire efforts, in which Doha has been a mediator. Netanyahu said the strike was a direct response to the deadly terrorist attack in Jerusalem on Monday, for which Hamas claimed responsibility.
In a video shared on Wednesday, the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, Netanyahu said Hamas’s Oct. 7 onslaught — in which Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages across southern Israel — was his country’s version of the Sept. 11 attack that killed nearly 3,000 people and led to the US invasion of Afghanistan.
“We remember Sept. 11. On that day, Islamist terrorists committed the worst savagery on American soil since the founding of the United States,” Netanyahu explained. “We also have a Sept. 11. We remember Oct. 7. On that day, Islamist terrorists committed the worst savagery against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
Justifying the Qatar strike, the prime minister said the US promised to punish the terrorists responsible for 9/11 and Israel vows to do the same for those who carried out the Oct. 7 attack.
“What did America do in the wake of Sept. 11? It promised to hunt down the terrorists who committed this heinous crime, wherever they may be … Yesterday, we acted along those lines,” he said. “We went after the terrorist masterminds who committed the Oct. 7 massacre. And we did so in Qatar which gives safe haven, it harbors terrorists, it finances Hamas, it gives its terrorist chieftains sumptuous villas, it gives them everything.”
Netanyahu said Israel “did exactly what America did when it went after the al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan and after they went and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.” He argued countries worldwide that condemn Israel for the attack in Qatar “should be ashamed of themselves” and “should applaud Israel for standing up to the same principles and carrying them out.”
“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will,” Netanyahu declared in conclusion.
Other Israeli officials who shared messages in tribute to the anniversary of the 9/11 attack include Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar. “Remember 9/11. Remember the victims. We stand together in our shared fight for freedom and against terror,” he wrote in a post on X.
In another post on X, former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman noted that Israel’s 9/11 Living Memorial in Jerusalem is the only 9/11 memorial outside the US that features the names of all the victims. “Combining 9/11 with the death of Charlie Kirk makes today especially somber,” he wrote, referring to the Wednesday’s assassination of the conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder.
A post on the official X accounts for the State of Israel and the Israel Foreign Ministry said that the 9/11 Living Memorial in Jerusalem “represents the unbreakable bond between our nations.”
“The United States and Israel stand together in grief and resilience, and in the determination to fight terror and defeat it” the post also stated. “The memory of those who died on that fateful day, will forever live in our hearts.”
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US House Passes Defense Policy Bill, Including Provisions for Israel Military Aid
US House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to members of the media at the Capitol building, April 20, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the annual defense policy bill, authorizing nearly $900 billion in military spending including a slate of provisions aimed at bolstering Israel’s security.
Passing by a vote of 231 to 196, largely along party lines, the bill underscores Washington’s continued military and political support for the Jewish state as it wages war against Iran’s network of terrorist proxies in the Middle East, primarily targeting Hamas in Gaza.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025 includes more than $650 million in direct US-Israel defense cooperation programs and several new policy directives. The measures were praised by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has been lobbying for expanded security commitments.
The package includes $500 million for missile defense cooperation, including funding for the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow systems, along with bilateral research, development, testing, and evaluation. Another $35 million is directed toward joint emerging technologies, ranging from artificial intelligence and quantum to directed energy and cybersecurity. The bill also earmarks $50 million for anti-tunneling programs and $70 million for counter-drone efforts.
Beyond funding, lawmakers moved to extend the War Reserve Stockpile Authority for Israel until 2029, ensuring Israel continued access to US military equipment pre-positioned in the region. The NDAA also requires the Pentagon to provide briefings to Congress on the status of aircraft and air-launched munitions approved for delivery to Israel.
Several provisions target international institutions seen as hostile to US and allied forces such as Israel. The bill directs the Pentagon and State Department to work with NATO and major non-NATO allies to block enforcement of International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants against American or allied military personnel. It also prohibits US Defense Department participation in international defense exhibitions that exclude Israeli firms, an increasingly common occurrence in Europe.
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and now-deceased Hamas terror leader Ibrahim al-Masri (better known as Mohammed Deif) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. The ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for starvation in Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians — charges vehemently denied by Israel, which has provided significant humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave throughout the war.
Lawmakers also mandated new assessments on regional security threats. The NDAA requires studies on preventing Hamas and other groups from using tunnels or maritime routes to smuggle weapons, along with reports on the status of integrated air and missile defense across US Central Command’s area of responsibility.
To deepen industrial cooperation, the bill establishes a US-Israel defense innovation field office in Israel and starts a new Defense Industrial Base Working Group to explore opportunities for greater integration between the two countries’ defense sectors. The Pentagon is also directed to continually assess the impact of foreign arms embargoes and sanctions on Israel’s military readiness.
The Senate still needs to finalize its version of the defense bill and reach a consensus with the House, before the legislation can head to US President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law.