Hundreds of students have been arrested, why has the "Palestinian-Israeli conflict" intensified at Columbia University?

At about 4 a.m. local time on April 17, in front of the Butler Library of Columbia University in New York City, many students set up tents on the lawn and established the "Gaza Solidarity Camp".

A day later, the intensifying protests reached their climax. New York City police officers entered Columbia University campus after receiving the report and arrested hundreds of students, which sparked a massive solidarity movement at colleges and universities in many parts of the United States.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza last October, pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian camps in U.S. colleges and universities have faced off intensely, sometimes escalating into violence. Balancing the right to free speech with campus safety has become a problem for university administrators. This time, the police entered the university campus and arrested a large number of students, thus entering a new stage of the "Palestinian-Israeli crisis" that has been fermenting in US colleges and universities for more than half a year.

"Extraordinary measures in extraordinary circumstances"

The occupation movement, organized by the Apartheid Divestment Coalition of Columbia University (CUAD), Students for Palestinian Justice (SJP), and Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP), aims to get Columbia University to sever economic ties with companies that "profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation of Palestine." The demonstrators promised to stay on the lawn until the school met their demands.

By morning, about 50 tents had been erected on the lawn in the center of the campus, and the protests had reached hundreds of people. "Liberate Palestine" "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free"...... The students shouted various slogans to the rhythm of gongs and drums. Many of the demonstrators were Jewish-faced, and some of them shouted into a loudspeaker that "the liberation of the Jews is inextricably linked to the liberation of the Palestinians." On the periphery of the lawn, pro-Israel students waved Israeli and American flags in opposition to pro-Palestinian groups.

In an effort to contain the effects of the protests, Columbia University's main campus began to enforce access restrictions a few days ago. Police and security personnel are stationed outside Hamilton Hall to check for school credentials.

As the main teaching and administrative building, Hamilton Hall is a testament to Columbia's long tradition of resistance. In 1968, thousands of students occupied five campus buildings, including Hamilton Hall, to protest the university's sponsorship of military research related to the Vietnam War and the construction of an apartheid gymnasium in an adjacent black neighborhood. In 1985, amid a wave of protests against apartheid in South Africa, students barricaded Hamilton Hall to demand that Columbia University sever its economic ties with South Africa, eventually pushing the university to become the first Ivy League school to divest from South Africa.

That night, the demonstrators were still full of energy. Reports of students receiving suspension orders from schools saying they had been disciplined for participating in unauthorized assemblies and rumours of police fate began to circulate in the camps, but these did not seem to have shaken the morale of the Gaza Solidarity camp. Under the moonlight, students danced and sang Palestinian songs in solidarity with Gaza.

At around 1 p.m. on April 18, President Shafiq sent a letter to the New York City Police Department, requesting that the police come forward to remove the students who had camped on the campus for protest. Shafiq wrote that the protests posed a "substantial threat" to the university's operations, and that the students had been suspended from their studies and that entering the campus was an "unlawful trespass". In another email to students, faculty and staff, Shafiq explained that the police clearance was an "extraordinary measure under extraordinary circumstances" and that she deeply regretted it. But the students' camping violated a number of new policies introduced last fall and "seriously disrupted campus life and amounted to harassment and intimidation to many students."

Police officers with riot gear quickly entered the campus and surrounded the lawn. More than 100 students in the camp sat together, holding hands and singing songs of solidarity with the Palestinians, ignoring police warnings to evacuate.

At around 1:30 a.m., Columbia's largest arrest in 50 years began. The police tied the students with cable ties and escorted them to the bus. On the outside of the lawn, the crowd of onlookers shouted "Shame on you" and "Let them go" at the police. Some bystanders also praised the police, "finally taking action".

That night, New York authorities said at a news conference that more than 108 people had been arrested and that they would face a subpoena on suspicion of "trespassing." New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said students have the right to speak freely, but they can't violate university policies and disrupt school learning. For his part, the NYPD's chief superintendent of patrol duty, John Cell, added: "The arrested students were peaceful, without any resistance, and expressed what they wanted to say in a peaceful way. ”

On the other side, representatives of students and faculty at Columbia University held a press conference outside the president's residence to condemn Shafiq's decision to send in the police. Laila Saliba, a Palestinian-American student, said Shafiq "sacrificed the education, health, safety and well-being of students" in order to "please donors and trustees." At a separate online news conference hosted by Columbia faculty and students, Sheldon Pollock, professor emeritus of South Asian studies at Columbia, told the media that after 1968 the university had "been very cautious about these extreme measures [with the use of police], and today that caution has been trampled upon."

In the spring of 1968, students protesting against the Vietnam War and apartheid locked down Columbia's campus. On the seventh day of the occupation, police entered the campus at the request of the school authorities and arrested more than 700 protesters. During this time, the police and the demonstrators exchanged fists and kicks, resulting in 148 injuries. After the violence severely affected Columbia's reputation and donations, the university pledged not to treat students in this way again, and initiated changes that would allow students to participate in campus decision-making.

In the post-Vietnam War era, there have been several sit-ins and occupation of buildings at Columbia University, but none of them have provoked such a strong reaction from the university. In the 1985 South African divestment campaign, 48 students were charged with violating school rules and discipline, but were not suspended. In 2016, students protesting against climate change imposed an eight-day occupation of the office building and the principal's office with minor sanctions.

Historian Angus Johnston notes that the tactics of the Columbia student protesters were much more moderate this time than the 1968 protesters. "What they occupy is a lawn. This is the least disruptive way to take up space in school. ”

"It is rare for a university to expel students who are peacefully protesting so quickly and aggressively. Molly Bicklen, deputy director of law at the American Civil Liberties Union in New York, said, "[Shafiq] invoked so-called emergency powers, which meant she had to identify an imminent threat to people and property." What is intrinsically dangerous or violent about this group of students who peacefully occupy the lawn?"

"Columbia University in Crisis"

After the arrest of hundreds of Columbia students, a large number of Columbia students gathered outside the New York City Police Department headquarters awaiting the release of the arrested students. New York Times columnist Lydia Polgreen tried to speak with them, but most were apprehensive about the interviews, with some criticizing mainstream media coverage of the Gaza war in the U.S. as being biased, and some students fearing that being associated with the protest movement could hurt their career prospects. Last October, some Ivy League graduates lost their jobs by signing an open letter criticizing Israel. Still, the Columbia students told Polgreen that they were determined to continue protesting because it was a "vital moral challenge in their lives."

On the other side, the demonstrators who remained on the campus soon set up a new "Gaza solidarity camp" on the west side of the lawn. Students continued to arrive in solidarity, and the momentum soon returned to the level it was before the arrests. A number of American universities, including Yale University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have seen protests in solidarity with Columbia students and support for Palestine.

Norman Finkelstein, a Palestinian-Israeli scholar and descendant of Holocaust survivors, joined the demonstrations in the new camp. Finkelstein said that in his generation, part of the students' opposition to the Vietnam War was self-interested, because they did not want to be drafted into the military. In contrast, this generation of young people is more pure in their support for Palestine. But Finkelstein also pointed out that some of the slogans used by the students could be misunderstood, such as "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

"From the river to the sea" refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Supporters believe that this slogan expresses the desire of the Palestinian people for peace and equality. But opponents argue that the slogan, which implicitly calls for the elimination of Israel and the expulsion of Jews from the region, has obvious anti-Semitic overtones. Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 377 in favor and 44 against to pass a resolution declaring the claim "antisemitic."

Finkistan suggested that the students use the phrase "From the river to the sea, the Palestinians will be free" so that the spirit of the protests can be embraced and identified with more people. But the protesting student crowd continued to chant: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." ”

Some Jewish students told the media that they were disturbed by the "extreme rhetoric" in the protests. There were demonstrators waving Hamas signs at them or telling them to "go back to Poland". On April 21, the eve of the Jewish tradition of Passover, a rabbi (rabbin) at Columbia University urged students to "go home." He said the recent events "show that Columbia University's public safety department and the New York Police Department are unable to guarantee the safety of Jewish students." On the same day, Biden also said in a lengthy holiday message at the White House, "The harassment and violence against Jews that have emerged in recent days, this blatant anti-Semitism, which is reprehensible and dangerous, has absolutely no place on a college campus or anywhere in the United States."

In response, student protest groups at Columbia University said that the students had been peaceful and firmly opposed to any form of hatred or bigotry, but some of the instigators outside the university were mistaken for part of the students.

The turmoil at Columbia University is a microcosm of the recent intensification of disagreements among American universities over the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Since April, the University of Southern California has canceled a speech by Tabasum, a graduate representative, citing a significant security risk. Previously, the Indian-American Muslim girl was complained by pro-Israel student groups of sharing links to websites promoting "antisemitism" on social media. The University of Michigan plans to pass a bill that would impose harsher penalties on students who engage in "disruptive demonstrations," which some civic groups have pointed out could stifle a flood of constitutionally protected speech. At Yale University, students staged a hunger strike demanding that the university stop investing in defense companies that do business with Israel. On April 23, police arrested about 50 protesting students. According to Yale authorities, the students face suspension or probation.

The police entered Columbia University to arrest students in a mass protest a day after President Shafiq was summoned to Congress to question the response to antisemitism. As Columbia's first female president in the 268-year history of the university, Shafiq was confronted with a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict shortly after taking office in October last year.

At a similar hearing last December, Republican Congressman Élise Stefanik, a potential running mate of Trump, posed the question to the presidents of many prestigious American universities: Is it against school rules that students call for genocide against Jews? Their ambiguous answers drew fierce criticism. Shortly after the hearing, the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard resigned under pressure. Shafiq did not attend the December hearing due to a conflicting schedule, temporarily avoiding the storm. Columbia University was quick to update its web page, saying that calling for genocide was "abhorrent" and inconsistent with the school's values. In February, the university introduced a series of new policies that imposed restrictions on the approval, venue and timing of demonstrations.

At the April 17 hearing, titled "Columbia University in Crisis," Shafiq, who had learned from the past, gave a clear and affirmative "yes" when asked whether calling for genocide violated Columbia's rules. In addition, Shafiq disclosed to Congress that the university is investigating two teachers who have made controversial statements against Israel, one of whom could be stripped of tenure.

After the hearing, Erin Malvi, president of the American Association of University Professors, accused the House committee of using university presidents and professors for political performances, while Shafiq "set a dangerous precedent for academic freedom by publicly naming professors who are under investigation in order to appease a hostile Congress."

In a joint article in the British newspaper The Guardian, four Jewish professors from Columbia University said that while they were deeply concerned about antisemitism on campus, the hearing was "disturbing". The article criticizes that Republicans condemning the "anti-wake movement" have joined forces with Israel's hawkish defenders to use specious accusations of antisemitism to erode academic freedom at universities, and that President Shafiq is willing to use them as a weapon.

The article also writes that the role of universities is to teach students how to think critically and courageously. This means that students may feel uneasy when their worldview differs from that of their peers, or when what they discuss in class or hear on campus challenges their beliefs. University education is all about learning to confront different opinions, even confrontations, and to question various points of view, rather than trying to suppress them.

However, Shafiq's cooperative gesture did not win "mercy" from Republican lawmakers.

On April 21, Republican Virginia Fox, the Republican chair of the House Education Committee, sent a letter to Columbia University leadership saying that she was "very concerned about the ongoing chaos" on campus and warned that federal funding would be at risk if the protests were not restrained and order was restored. Republican Rep. Stefanik, for his part, demanded Shafiq's immediate resignation because the school's leadership "has apparently lost control of the campus."

In the early hours of April 22, Shafiq spoke out for the first time after police officers entered the school and arrested him. In an email to students, she wrote that the current tensions were being "exploited and amplified by individuals unrelated to Columbia who come to campus to seek their own agendas," noting that the university needed to "recalibrate" from the tensions. Shafiq said he would find a way to defuse the campus crisis and talk to the protesting students.

According to China News Weekly