News about protests, Columbia

While the broader point of the protests has been to call attention to Israel's treatment of Palestinians since the 7 October Hamas terror attack, the more direct — and actionable — issue at the heart of the campus demonstrations has been a demand for colleges to stop spending money in ways that benefit Israel.

Many protesters want schools to divest from companies that do business with Israel or otherwise contribute to the war effort. Others simply want to call attention to the deaths in Gaza and for the war to end.

Many of the protests have been focused on American influence in the war, but criticism of Israel's historic occupation of Palestinian territories has brought another level of tension to the on-campus demonstrations.