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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest appearance of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
School of International and Public Affairs Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo is set to interview Bennett at an invite-only event.

By Ryan Murphy / Staff PhotographerThe joint Instagram post by CUAD, JVP, and CPSC about the protest displayed a picture of the email, and added “What exactly are they trying to hide?” in the caption.By Emily Pickering, Molly Bordoff, and Daksha Pillai • March 5, 2025 at 12:46 AM
By Emily Pickering, Molly Bordoff, and Daksha Pillai • March 5, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Updated March 10 at 3:09 p.m.
Over 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside of the 116th and Broadway gates on Tuesday to protest an appearance from former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Columbia/Barnard Hillel hosted Bennett for an event, which was moderated by SIPA Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo. Though the original invitation email listed the School of International and Public Affairs’ Institute of Global Politics as a co-host, a University official wrote in a statement to Spectator that due to “space limitations at the venue, the event was not able to accommodate the SIPA community,” and Hillel was made the sole host of the event.
“At Columbia, and especially at SIPA, we train students to become future policymakers and leaders,” Yarhi-Milo wrote in a Tuesday statement to Spectator. “Part of that training is to expose students to speakers who may hold views that may differ from their own. In a society as polarized as ours is today, it’s critical to learn how to debate, listen, and persuade in a civil manner.”
The Columbia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition co-organized the protest.
The two organizations, along with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, promoted the protest in a joint Instagram post on Tuesday, displaying the invitation email for the event.
“The information in this email and the details of the event, including the identity of our guest, are confidential,” a copy of the email obtained by Spectator reads. “The invitation is non-transferable, so please minimize discussing this event with others.”
Organizers of the event did not reveal its location in the Feb. 24 invite email. They announced the location to invitees in a Tuesday afternoon email obtained by Spectator.
“The event proceeded without disruption,” Lavine Family Executive Director for the Kraft Center Brian Cohen wrote in a Wednesday statement to Spectator. “Unfortunately, the current campus dynamic forced us to make last night’s event open only to invited students.”
The joint Instagram post by CUAD, JVP, and CPSC about the protest displayed a picture of the email, and added “What exactly are they trying to hide?” in the caption.
“It is our duty to ensure that war criminals and genociders never feel welcomed on our campus, despite invitations from groups such as Hillel,” the post read.
The protest, which started at around 6:30 p.m., began as doors for the event with the former prime minister opened. Yarhi-Milo was set to interview Bennett, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022 as the 13th prime minister of Israel.
“A core component of learning, in general, is the ability to listen to people with whom you disagree. We make it a point at SIPA to encourage viewpoint diversity, for this reason,” Yarhi-Milo wrote in a statement to Spectator. “We have faculty and fellows who are former Democratic and Republican administration officials. We have scholars who offer a range ofinternational perspectives. We have experts representing vastly different positions on the Middle East conflict, including Palestinian, Israeli and other voices.”
CPSC wrote in a Tuesday news release that students “are demanding immediate action from university leadership and trustees.”
“We are calling on the Acting University President, Katrina Armstrong, to cancel the event, issue a formal condemnation of Bennett’s visit, and launch a full investigation into the university’s handling of this situation,” CPSC wrote.
A University spokesperson wrote in a statement to Spectator that “the University coordinated with Columbia Hillel on Public Safety preparations for their event with Naftali Bennett, including with respect to any campus protest activity and to minimize potential disruptions to academic activities.”
The spokesperson added that “the event was well attended and took place without disruption or interference.”
“We understand groups from outside our Columbia community also protested in public spaces outside the University’s gates which the NYPD was responsible for managing,” the spokesperson wrote. “As always, we monitored to ensure activity on our campus was safe and complied with our rules and policies, including the immediate enforcement of policies to prevent discrimination or the targeting of our community members in any form.”
CPSC’s release described Bennett as “widely known for his violent rhetoric and actions.” The release highlighted a 2018 quote from Bennett, “They are not children, they are terrorists,” which was also reported by CNN, the Guardian, and the Times of Israel.
Columbia Jews for Ceasefire released a statement on its Instagram ahead of the appearance, condemning the “political project of Naftali Bennett.”
“By agreeing to host Naftali Bennett while excluding students who feel comfortable challenging his reprehensible policy proposals, CBHillel is implicitly endorsing these policies, intentionally or not,” the statement read.
Ahead of the planned demonstration, the New York Police Department parked several Strategic Response Group vans on 116th Street and Claremont Avenue. Nearly a dozen NYPD officers stood on 116th Street.
“It’s critical that our community understands that our events, especially those that explore divisive political issues, will often inspire protests,” Yarhi-Milo wrote. “Protests are an important right of free speech, and, in fact, are not always a signal that something is wrong, but are rather a sign that we are doing exactly what we intend-- tackling important and necessary topics, and bringing critical diversity of thought, of political views, to our campus.”
At around 6:50 p.m., there were nearly a dozen counterprotesters on 116th Street and Broadway, some of whom were holding signs that read “We have had enough.”
NYPD officers stood between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters as they chanted at each other.
One protester lunged at a counterprotester carrying a banner that read “Unapologetic Zionist.” The protester then backed up while multiple counterprotesters yelled “Fuck off.”
Protesters from the Neturei Karta—a group of anti-Zionist Haredi Jews—joined the pro-Palestinian protesters, holding signs reading “Judaism Condemns the State of ‘Israel’ and its atrocities.”
Protesters walked on 114th Street to Amsterdam Avenue and stood near the Law School on 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue at around 7:20 p.m. At around 7:30 p.m., a banner that read “War criminal off our campus” and “Free Palestine” was unfurled on Law Bridge. Minutes after, the banner was taken down.
“Say it clear and say it loud, Naftali Bennett off campus now,” protesters chanted.
There were dozens of NYPD officers on 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, and some NYPD officers placed barricades on the street, preventing entry.
Protesters gathered outside of the International Affairs Building, chanting “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest,” and waving Palestinian flags.

Photo by Audrea Chen / Staff photographer
Protesters unfolded a banner that read "War criminal off our campus" and "Free Palestine" on Law Bridge.
“This isn’t about Jewish. This isn’t about Arab. This is about supremacy. Right now, unfortunately, it’s Jewish supremacy. And we’re here to say, that under no circumstances, do we approve of ethnic cleansing,” one protester said, holding a sign reading “Jews say no to ethnic cleansing.”
Afterward, protesters walked to 118th Street and Morningside Avenue, where NYPD officers had already placed barricades.
“The group of individuals who attempted to disrupt the event proved that this was a necessary precaution,” Cohen wrote in a statement to Spectator. “We’re thankful that, due to our careful planning, NYPD prevented the protestors from getting to the venue. At no point was our event impacted by the disruptions outside.”
At around 8 p.m., protesters gathered around the entrance of the International Affairs Building again, waving signs and chanting.
“We’re completely blocked off Morningside Avenue and we cannot get any closer to Faculty House, the place where he is speaking,” an organizer said.
At around 8:15 p.m., protesters placed stickers on the windows of the International Affairs Building which depicted an individual in a keffiyeh and the words “Land back now” and “Palestine will be free.”
“Protests can’t, of course, violate university rules, or others’ rights, in the process,” Yarhi-Milo wrote in a statement to Spectator. “Engaging with challenging issues can make many of us uncomfortable and emotional, but our goal is to help our students learn how to responsibly and respectfully navigate this territory to the benefit of their learning and continued educational growth.”
Protesters began dispersing at around 8:25 p.m., chanting “We’ll be back” as they left.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to clarify that while Columbia University Apartheid Divest co-posted the Instagram post promoting the protest, the Columbia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition co-organized the protest.
Staff Writer Molly Bordoff can be contacted at molly.bordoff@columbiaspectator.com. Follow her on X @mollygbordoff.
Staff Writer Emily Pickering can be contacted at emily.pickering@columbiaspectator.com. Follow her on X @emilypckk.
Deputy News Editor Daksha Pillai can be contacted at daksha.pillai@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec.
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