At Columbia University, two groups of hundreds of students tensely faced each other in dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations, while university officials blocked public access to the New York City campus as a safety measure.
Supporters of Palestinians, many of whom wore face masks to hide their identities, held signs in a grassy area near a library Thursday that read "Free Palestine" and "To Exist is to Resist." About 100 feet away, students backing Israel silently held up posters with the faces of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas.
Statements by student groups supporting Palestinians have prompted outrage and fear among Jews and, in some cases, wider rebuke from public officials and corporations. There have been reports of harassment and assaults of both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students, deepening grief and putting students of all political stripes on high alert.
Several masked speakers at the pro-Palestine rally declined to reveal their full names, with one saying they did not feel safe enough on campus to disclose their identity. Many faulted the university for not expressing more support for Palestinian students and the people of Gaza. A controversy at Harvard University on Monday was one of the first to make headlines. Prominent alumni lambasted a joint student group statement calling Israel "entirely responsible" for the war. The university president later clarified that the groups did not represent the school's position.
The national group, which advocates for an independent Palestine and says on its website that it promotes "an agenda grounded in freedom, solidarity, equality, safety and historical justice," called the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas "a historic win for the Palestinian resistance."
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