Campus clashes: Students vs. university administrations in Gaza support protests

Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

In a face-off between students at Columbia University in New York and the administration, challenges meet challenges.

Following two weeks of intense negotiations between the parties, with no sign of the students relenting in their Gaza-supporting sit-in, the administration began taking a series of measures. 

These included suspending the studies of some students, refusing to enroll them in the upcoming semester, and issuing threats of expulsion.

In response to the administration's decisions, some students stormed university buildings, seized control, and vandalized windows, especially after the police detained about a hundred students and some of their supporters.

The protesters refuse to end their sit-in until three demands are met: divestment from assets supporting the Israeli army, transparency regarding the university's financial affairs, and amnesty for students and faculty staff who faced disciplinary action due to their involvement in the protests.

Similar scenes unfolded at Louisiana State University, where students protested against US support for Israel.

Attempts to suppress and prevent the display of slogans and the removal of erected tents on university campuses by US police forces were met with resistance as they used horses to break up student gatherings.

Even classroom discussions are held to explain the reasons behind the protests and ways to alleviate the plight of Palestinians and halt US support for Israel.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, an Israeli student attempted to breach a Palestinian-supporting student barrier.

Iran's foreign ministry has condemned what it called the violent behavior of US police and military, aimed at disrupting campus atmospheres and students' demands.

Some Iranian universities have expressed readiness to host students expelled from US universities.