By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-12 17:35:55 | Updated at 2025-03-12 22:40:27
5 hours ago
Foul-mouthed anti-Israel protesters disrupted an event at Cornell University, where former Palestinian and Israeli officials came together to discuss peace in the region.
The “Pathways to Peace” discussion — which featured Israel’s former foreign minister and vice prime minister, Tzipi Livni — descended into chaos when unruly activists broke out in antisemitic chants and hurled abuse at the politician.
“F–k you, war criminals,” a keffiyeh-clad female student yelled, according to video of the commotion shared by Cornell student Sam Friedman.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” other demonstrators shouted, using the slogan deemed antisemitic by the Anti-Defamation League.
At least 16 protesters were arrested at the Monday panel discussion, where Livni expressed the importance of respecting both sides.
“I’m not here to open the kind of blame game, who is to blame, because I do believe, even now, after Oct. 7, that the only way forward, if we want to live in peace, is to acknowledge both sides, the legitimate aspiration of both sides, to a state of their own, Israel and the Palestinians,” she said.
Other panelists included the former US Ambassador to Israel, Daniel B. Shapiro, and the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Salam Fayyad.
It was moderated by the former US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria, Ryan Crocker.
The activists claimed the event presented a biased view of the conflict, despite both Israelis and Palestinians being part of the discussion.
Before the event even began, a banner was displayed outside where the event was taking place, calling for a walkout in protest of Livni’s inclusion.
Livni — who oversaw the First Gaza War in 2008-09, dubbed “Operation Cast Lead” — has been the subject of an arrest warrant in the UK for alleged war crimes.
The wide-ranging discussion started with a message to the audience that different opinions would be allowed from the Ivy League’s Interim President Michael Kotlikoff, who was hosting the event.
“This is a region with a long and complex history, which has too often, in recent years, been reduced to binaries,” Kotlikoff said in a statement ahead of the event, as reported by the Cornell Chronicle.
“Through hearing firsthand from experts with direct, on-the-ground experience of the peace process, its collapse and the events of the past decades, we hope to challenge those misconceptions, and deepen our community’s understanding of the region’s current challenges and realities.”
The demonstration was led by the group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Cornell University did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
