Mideast War blowback

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The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard’s ability to enroll international students amid an ongoing standoff between the government and the Ivy League school.

Harvard has refused to adhere to a set of demands issued by the Trump administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism that included sweeping reforms to whom the university can hire and admit, and subjecting the ideology of faculty members to an audit approved by the government.

In response, the government cut over $2 billion in federal research funding, leading to a lawsuit by Harvard to recoup the money.

The abrupt termination of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is a major escalation in a dispute that could have severe financial consequences for Harvard, which enrolls nearly 6,800 international students out of a student body of 24,596. Current international students at Harvard will need to transfer or lose their legal status.

The move was first reported by The New York Times, and subsequently confirmed in a tweet from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,” Noem wrote.

Noem accused Harvard of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party” in a separate statement.

In a statement, Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton called the government’s action "unlawful."

We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University — and this nation — immeasurably," he said.

The Department of Homeland Security said the sanction was the result of a demand that Harvard provide information about “the criminality and misconduct” of foreign students.

Harvard provided some information on international students to the department on April 30. But Noem said in a letter to Harvard on Thursday that the information was insufficient and subsequent attempts to get more from the school did not satisfy the government.

If Harvard wants to regain its ability to enroll international students for the fall semester, the letter stated, the school must provide in the next 72 hours all records and audio and video files that involve dangerous, threatening or illegal activity by an international student enrolled within the past five years.

Harvard also must turn over all audio and video footage of protest activity from the past five years involving international students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Noem wrote.

Federal officials are reviewing writings that they say may belong to the man charged Thursday in the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., as they investigate whether the attack was motivated by antisemitism.

District police identified the lone suspect as Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Chicago resident, who they say shouted “Free, free Palestine” while in custody and “implied” that he was the gunman in the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night.

He appeared Thursday before a federal magistrate judge wearing a white prison jumpsuit and glasses. Rodriguez remained calm as the charges were read. He is charged with murder of foreign officials, causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of first-degree murder.

He waived his detention hearing and is being held without bond until his preliminary hearing June 18.

Rodriguez also "expressed admiration" for the U.S. Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., in February 2024 in an apparent protest against the Israel-Hamas war, according to the complaint. That man, who had been yelling, "Free Palestine," died at the hospital.

Wednesday night's shooting is being investigated as a hate crime and a crime of terror, assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told reporters. It is a "death penalty-eligible case," she said.

A witness told investigators that he heard gunshots Wednesday night and when it stopped, he saw the suspect attempting to shoot the weapon, but it didn't fire, according to the complaint. The witness said he saw the suspect running away and motioning as if he was tossing a gun, which police later found.

Surveillance video reviewed by police showed the suspect wearing a blue jacket with a hood and a large dark-colored backpack walking past where the two victims were standing near the museum. After passing them, he took a firearm from his waistband and fired at them "several times," and once they fell to the ground, he leaned over to them and fired "several more times," according to the complaint.

A female victim tried to crawl away, but the suspect followed behind her and fired his weapon, the complaint said, as he reloaded and then fired several times again.

Forensics investigators recovered 21 expended 9mm cartridge casings, a firearm magazine, an empty magazine and a 9mm handgun with its slide locked, indicating that no ammunition was remaining, according to the complaint.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced the 9mm handgun and found that Rodriguez had purchased it March 6, 2020, in Illinois, the complaint added.

Investigators say Rodriguez on Tuesday flew from Chicago to metropolitan Washington, D.C., with a firearm that he had declared in his checked luggage. He told them he only bought a ticket to the museum event three hours before it started, according to the complaint.

Outside a brick apartment building on a quiet tree-lined street in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago early Thursday, law enforcement cordoned off an address tied to the suspect by public records.

Several FBI vehicles pulled up to the building, and agents dressed in camo gear and carrying large firearms went inside. They later left with what looked like large electronic equipment. Chicago police were positioned outside, blocking the entrance to the street.

John Wayne Fry, a neighbor, said he interacted with Rodriguez infrequently in the hallway or by the mailboxes, but knew him for having a “Justice for Wadee” sign in his window. Wadee Alfayoumi, was a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy who was fatally stabbed by his landlord in Illinois days after the Israel-Hamas war erupted in 2023.

Rodriguez “seemed like a normal, friendly guy,” Fry said, adding that the two had not spoken about Israel before but wished they had because “I would have talked him out of it.”

Efforts to reach Rodriguez's family members in Chicago were not successful.

In a post on X Thursday, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino wrote that the bureau “is aware of certain writings allegedly authored by the suspect, and we hope to have updates as to the authenticity very soon.”

The writings include social media posts that indicate a motivation to act on behalf of the Palestinian people.

A LinkedIn account for the suspect shows he worked for the American Osteopathic Information Association as a “profiles administrative specialist” beginning last July. The organization confirmed that the suspect was an employee.

“As a physician organization dedicated to protecting the health and sanctity of human life, we believe in the rights of all persons to live safely without fear of violence,” the association said.

Rodriguez also listed working as a coordinator and an oral history researcher from 2023 to 2024 for The HistoryMakers, a nonprofit organization in Chicago that collects video oral history of Black Americans.

An archive of the website says Rodriguez is a Chicago native who earned an English degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and had worked as a content writer in technology.

Politicians, both prominent Republicans and Democrats, have condemned the shooting that claimed the lives of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26. The couple was killed outside after attending a Young Diplomats reception at the museum organized by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group.

Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, wrote on X that Lischinsky “was a Christian, a true lover of Israel, served in the IDF, and chose to dedicate his life to the State of Israel and the Zionist cause.” The New York Times reported he was the son of a Jewish father and Christian mother

Mass pro-Palestine demonstrations took place across the world over the last few days, with several culminating in clashes with police, property damage, and vandalism.

In Bern, Switzerland, 2000 people rallied in the city center and marched towards the synagogue on Monbijoustrasse, forcing police officers to block access to the building.

The protest, which was orchestrated by Basel4Palestine, was not given prior permission by the police. After multiple demonstrators broke through police cordons, threw stones, and set off fireworks, officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, according to Basel 4 Palestine.

According to Swiss media, six officers were wounded during the protests. The police also said that building windows and the windows of a police vehicle were smashed, and that the fireworks used by protesters had been stolen from a pyrotechnics shop.

Local media - including a reporter for Berner Zeitung - noted the paucity of police in the area. According to one BZ reporter, only "10 to 15 police officers were on site."

In Bielsko-Biała in Poland, pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a concert of Jewish songs marking the 77th anniversary of the state of Israel, according to the Jewish Religious Community in Bielsko-Biała.

The community released a statement saying that the last time people had broken into the synagogue was "with the entrance of Nazi troops, which ended with it being blown up with explosives."

The statement added that the situation was "all the more disturbing" because many Holocaust survivors were present.

In Chicago, just days after Chicago-born Elias Rodriguez shot dead two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, hordes of protesters descended on the city center on Saturday to declare "end to the genocide." Additionally, videos showed chants of "resistance is justified."

Seven thousand protesters gathered outside London's Downing Street to demand that the British government stop sending arms to Israel.

According to the Metropolitan Police, several pro-Palestine protest groups also gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in Kensington.

FBI special agents on Sunday arrested dual U.S.-German citizen Joseph Neumayer at JFK International Airport in New York in connection with an attempt to destroy the Branch Office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a Sunday press release.

According to a complaint unsealed in the Eastern District of New York, Neumayer is alleged to have left a dark-colored backpack next to the embassy building on May 19, having arrived in Israel in April. He was initially arrested in Israel and transferred to U.S. custody on Sunday.

"This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump's life," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. "The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law."

Neumeyer is alleged to have spit on a security guard as he walked past, left a backpack, and fled as the security guard failed to detain him. Inside the backpack, authorities discovered three Molotov cocktails, which contained flammable fluid.

Authorities tracked Neumeyer to his hotel where he was arrested.

Neumeyer's social media revealed that earlier on May 19, he posted, "join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f--k the west."

Other social media posts from an account believed to be used by Neumeyer revealed his threats to assassinate President Donald Trump, the DOJ wrote in its press release.

If convicted, Neumeyer faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a maximum fine in the amount of $250,000.

Israeli officials are concerned that Egypt is pulling away from its peace agreement with Israel and aligning with countries hostile to Jerusalem.

As per the peace treaty, Egypt can have one mechanized division and a tank brigade in the Sinai Peninsula, totaling 47 battalions and 300 tanks.

However, Egypt now has approximately 180 battalions in Sinai — nearly four times the treaty’s limit. Meanwhile, the IDF has gotten rid of six combat divisions, thousands of tanks, half of its artillery brigades, numerous infantry and engineering units, intelligence-gathering battalions, and thousands of career soldiers.

In addition, the shortening of mandatory service for men has significantly reduced the number of active-duty combat troops.

As a result, the IDF is no longer capable of deploying sufficient forces to the Egyptian border in times of routine or emergency.

Troops are also deployed far beyond the 60-kilometer limit from the Suez Canal agreed upon in the treaty, with large forces stationed deep in Sinai, including El-Arish and areas near Rafah.

Additionally, satellite images and Egyptian propaganda videos suggest that Cairo could be preparing chemical and biological weapons for use against Israel.

Egypt's army has also grown by nearly 30%, defense sources estimate.

Relations between Jerusalem and Cairo had deteriorated as a result of the Gaza war after Hamas's October 7 attacks. Egypt recently declined to appoint an ambassador to Israel. In response, Israel has suspended plans to send its own ambassador to Cairo.

Is Cairo distancing itself from Camp David?
While Egypt has not formally renounced the Camp David Accords, Cairo is effectively distancing itself from the treaty.

The IDF is woefully unprepared to confront that possibility should Cairo pivot to open hostilities.

A major part of the threat lies in Israel’s poor intelligence coverage of developments in Egypt, with most of Israel’s top intelligence officers focused elsewhere, leaving Egypt and Sinai largely unmonitored

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Israel’s recent strikes on Gaza are taking a humanitarian toll on civilians that can no longer be justified as a fight against the Hamas terror group.

“Harming the civilian population to such an extent, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism,” he told broadcaster WDR in a televised interview.

Merz also said he “no longer understands” the Israel Defense Forces’ objective in Gaza amid a stepped-up offensive.

I no longer understand what the Israeli army is doing in the Gaza Strip, with what goal the civilian population is being impacted to such an extent,” he said.

Merz added he plans to hold a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to tell him “to not overdo it,” though for “historical reasons,” Germany would always be more guarded in its criticism than some European partners.

But he added that “when limits are crossed, when international humanitarian law is being violated… then the German chancellor must speak out too.”

One of two Harvard students who assaulted a Jewish classmate during an anti-Israel protest in October 2023 has been appointed as class marshal by Harvard Divinity School at the upcoming graduation ceremony.

This comes just three weeks after the other assailant was awarded a $65,000 Harvard Law School fellowship to work at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The Harvard Law Review website says its $65,000 fellowship goes to recent Harvard Law School graduates “with a demonstrated interest in serving the public interest through their work and scholarship.”

In October 2023, Ibrahim Bharmal and Elom Tettey-Tamaklo surrounded a Jewish student named Yoav Segev and covered him with keffiyehs while shouting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” as he tried to free himself and said “don’t touch me.”

While Bharmal and Tettey-Tamaklo originally faced a criminal trial, Boston Municipal Court Judge Stephen W. McClenon dismissed the charges at the end of April, instead ordering them to attend “pre-trial diversion” anger management courses and perform 80 hours of community service.

The same week as the judge dismissed the charges, the Harvard Law Review awarded Bharmal the $65,000 fellowship, and then this week it was reported that Tettey-Tamaklo has been appointed as marshal.

The quiet work of community security directors and federal agents has derailed “tens—perhaps dozens—of potentially fatal attacks” on Jewish institutions in North America since Hamas’s October 7 massacre, Eric Fingerhut, president and chief executive of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), told [/i]The Jerusalem Post[/i] during a visit to the paper’s studios this week.

The former Ohio congressman did not provide precise figures, citing ongoing investigations, but said plots had been uncovered in multiple states against synagogues, day schools and public events. “These cases never reached the headlines because the perpetrators were intercepted first,” he noted. “That success should not obscure how many attempts were made—or how much vigilance is still required.”

The current Jewish security architecture was built in response to the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh. In its aftermath, JFNA launched LiveSecure, a matching-grant program that enabled local federations to hire former law-enforcement professionals, install surveillance systems, and run active-shooter drills.

“Before Pittsburgh, only a handful of communities employed full-time security directors,” Fingerhut recalled. “Today, 130 of our 140 federations do, and the remaining few will fill those posts before year-end.”

Those directors liaise daily with the Secure Community Network (SCN) and the FBI, sharing intelligence on extremist chatter and coordinating with local police. The endeavour relies heavily on the US Non-Profit Security Grant Program, whose annual budget has risen from roughly US $10 million a decade ago to US $500 million, funding reinforced doors, perimeter lighting, and alarm systems.

Fingerhut said the approach works. “Whenever I arrive in a new city, the first meeting is with the federation’s security lead. He or she can point to threats that were neutralised because suspicious online posts were flagged or a backpack of weapons was discovered before anyone was in danger.”

Lessons from Washington
The Washington shooting, however, exposed a vulnerability. Rodriguez remained outside the controlled perimeter and attacked departing guests. “The physical security was sound, but the geometry favoured the attacker,” Fingerhut acknowledged. “We are reviewing what failed and how to prevent a copycat incident.”

He contended that the federal government must assume greater responsibility. “This is domestic terrorism. Only Washington can allocate the analysts, agents, and uniformed officers required to track radicalisation across state lines and protect vulnerable sites. After 9/11 the United States created the Department of Homeland Security for aviation threats; a comparable effort is now needed to defend houses of worship.”

Fingerhut attributed many recent threats to social-media radicalisation. JFNA was the only major Jewish organisation to lobby openly for the law compelling TikTok’s Chinese parent to divest. “Extremist content is algorithmically amplified,” he said. “Regulating those algorithms is a public-safety imperative, not a free-speech violation.”

He also backed the US Department of Education’s civil-rights investigations of Harvard, Columbia and other universities that allowed anti-Israel encampments last spring. Harvard alone, he noted, received about US $9 billion in federal funds last year. “Public money carries public obligations. If administrators refuse to enforce their own rules on harassment and trespass, Washington must use the leverage it already possesses.”

Despite heightened anxiety, JFNA polling shows the “October 8 surge” in synagogue attendance, Hebrew-school enrolment and volunteerism remains robust. “People are leaning in, not retreating,” Fingerhut observed. “But communal confidence hinges on safety. Parents will not drop children at day school if they fear the car-pool lane”.

JFNA is expanding trauma counselling for embassy employees and communities rattled by threats. It is also pressing Congress to enlarge the Non-Profit Security Grant Program and to establish permanent domestic-terror units within the FBI.

The Trump administration intends to ask all federal agencies to seek ways to end their contracts — worth an estimated $100 million — with Harvard University, a senior administration official told NBC News on Tuesday.

"GSA will send a letter to federal agencies today asking them to identify any contracts with Harvard, and whether they can be canceled or redirected elsewhere," the senior official said, referring to the General Services Administration.

The New York Times first reported the development.

The proposed cuts are the latest escalation in a monthslong fight between the Trump administration and the country's oldest — and arguably most prestigious — university.

A copy of the letter, obtained by NBC News, instructs agencies to respond to the GSA with a list of contracts with the university that they have terminated by June 6.

"Going forward, we also encourage your agency to seek alternative vendors for future services where you had previously considered Harvard," reads the letter, signed by John Gruenbaum, the commissioner of the GSA's Federal Acquisition Service.

Gruenbaum described the administration's actions as bolstering civil rights. He accused Harvard of defying a Supreme Court ruling that banned considering race in its admissions process and of "ongoing inaction" over the harassment of its Jewish students.

A separate administration official confirmed to NBC News that roughly 30 contracts will be under review.

According to the official, they include a $39,000 contract for graduate student research services, a $50,000 contract with the National Institutes of Health to investigate the effects of coffee drinking and a $523,000 contract to conduct research on energy drinks.

Harvard did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Trump said Monday on Truth Social that he was considering taking $3 billion in grant money away from what he called “a very anti-Semitic” Harvard and giving it to trade schools, instead.

Harvard President Alan Garber responded to Trump's post Tuesday in an interview with NPR, raising concerns about how the cuts would affect research that he says benefits the country.

"I’m less concerned about whether it goes to a trade school or if it goes to some other project, like working on highways," he said. "What the real question is, how much value does the federal government get from its expenditures on research? "

"There is a lot of actual research demonstrating the returns to the American people have been enormous," he added.

The feud largely stems from the university's refusal to comply with sweeping demands from the Trump administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism last month. The task force sought to review whom Harvard can admit or hire and subject its faculty to a government audit.

In response, the administration stripped the university of $2 billion in federal research funding.

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday laid into Israel over this week’s Jerusalem Flag March, characterizing it as an “annual spectacle of unchecked violence and extremist provocation” while issuing a rare warning against Israel if Jerusalem does not take “decisive steps” against the phenomenon.

“It is utterly unfathomable that, amid the ongoing carnage in Gaza, the Israeli government — underscored by the presence of one of its ministers — continues to permit” the flag march, an Emirati official told The Times of Israel in a statement issued shortly after Abu Dhabi summoned Israel’s ambassador to the Gulf country for a rare reprimand.

It was only the second time an Israeli envoy had ever been summoned by Emirati authorities, and the first time since the ongoing Gaza war began. A second source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that the meeting at the Emirati foreign ministry saw the harshest rebuke that Abu Dhabi has ever conveyed to an Israeli official.

The Emirati anger was particularly notable given that the country has differentiated itself from Israel’s other Arab partners, who have downgraded ties in various ways amid the Israel-Hamas war. While it has limited some public demonstrations of the relationship, the UAE has kept its ambassador in Tel Aviv, maintained daily flights to Israel and even boosted economic cooperation.

This is not an isolated incident. It happens every year, and year after year, they allow it to unfold without consequence,” the Emirati official said.

“We have made clear — in no uncertain terms — that we expect them to take decisive steps to put an end to this.”

“They would do well to take that expectation extremely seriously,” the official warned

A separate statement from the UAE foreign ministry on its decision to summon Israeli Ambassador Yossi Shelley also took issue with the Monday visit made by hundreds of Israeli religious nationalists to the Temple Mount compound, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif. Among the visitors was far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who said he prayed there in violation of the so-called status quo under which non-Muslim prayer is banned.

The UAE foreign ministry statement said Israeli actions in Jerusalem on Monday “represent dangerous incitement against Muslims, and are a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the holy city.”

The statement said the Israeli action “not only targets the Palestinian people but the entire international community, further escalating tensions at a time when efforts should be focused on ending the ongoing tragedy in the Gaza Strip.”

Abu Dhabi called on Israel to condemn “these hostile acts and hold perpetrators accountable — without exception for ministers and officials.”

“Failure to act will be seen as tacit approval that will only further deepen the cycle of hatred, racism, and instability,” the Emirati foreign ministry added, calling for upholding the status quo at Jerusalem holy sites.

A list of 380 prolific British writers, including Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith, George Monbiot, and Frank Cottrell-Boyce, wrote an open letter demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday night.

“The government of Israel has renewed its assault on Gaza with unrestrained brutality,” the letter said, adding that “public statements by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir openly express genocidal intentions.”

The writers cited human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Human Rights Watch to say that “the use of the word ‘genocide’ to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated.”

“The term ‘genocide’ is not a slogan,” the letter continued.

“It carries legal, political, and moral responsibilities. Just as it is true to call the atrocities committed by Hamas against innocent civilians on 7 October 2023 crimes of war and crimes against humanity, so today it is true to name the attack on the people of Gaza an atrocity of genocide, with crimes of war and crimes against humanity committed daily by the Israeli Defense Forces at the command of the government of the State of Israel.”

The writers added that they refuse to be bystander-approvers, but that “in taking this stand, we assert without reservation our absolute opposition to and loathing of antisemitism of anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli prejudice.”

As such, they demanded immediate unrestricted distribution of food and medical aid throughout Gaza by the UN; sanctions on the State of Israel if the Israeli government does not heed this call; and a ceasefire that guarantees safety and justice for all Palestinians, the release of all Israeli hostages, and the release of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners arbitrarily held in Israeli jails.

“This genocide implicates us all,” the letter concluded. “We bear witness to the crimes of genocide, and we refuse to approve them by our silence.”

The letter is based on the original by Karim Kattan, which was published in the French outlet Libération on Monday and signed by 300 French authors. The French version was signed by authors including Leïla Slimani, JMG Le Clézio, Virginie Despentes, and Mohamed Mbougar Sarr.
Additionally, on Monday, over 800 legal professionals signed an open letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, asking the government to impose sanctions on Israel due to the war in Gaza.

The 34-page letter featured signatures from two former Supreme Court justices, Lord Jonathan Sumption and Lord Nicholas Wilson, over 70 King’s Counsel, and hundreds of barristers, solicitors, and others.

Soon after a Chicago theater canceled a screening of a documentary about campus antisemitism, its operators had second thoughts.

Facing a firestorm of criticism charging the theater with antisemitism, the operators of Facets Film Forum said they would work with the filmmaker, an Israeli-American Jewish rapper who goes by Kosha Dillz, to reschedule a screening of “Bring The Family Home.”

“FACETS Film Forum respects the First Amendment, its protections of free speech and the right to express views through film,” Facets said in a statement. “We regret any unintended offense our decision to cancel a privately organized, public film screening caused the filmmaker, those seeking to attend the event, and members of our community who have experienced or witnessed oppression or discrimination in any form.”

But now, without ever announcing a new showtime for “Bring The Family Home,” the theater has abandoned the plan to reschedule — citing online “harassment” from the filmmaker and a pro-Israel group that was a partner on the screening.

Shortly before a planned meeting with Kosha Dillz, whose real name is Rami Even-Esh, on Tuesday, the theater informed him that it would not be moving forward.

But now, without ever announcing a new showtime for “Bring The Family Home,” the theater has abandoned the plan to reschedule — citing online “harassment” from the filmmaker and a pro-Israel group that was a partner on the screening.

Shortly before a planned meeting with Kosha Dillz, whose real name is Rami Even-Esh, on Tuesday, the theater informed him that it would not be moving forward.

Thousands of messages of criticism received.
In its statement on Tuesday, Facets said it had gotten more than 2,500 messages, in addition to social media posts criticizing it. In one instance, which it said it had reported to police, the theater said an online post was “offering a bounty to anyone willing to burn down FACETS’ building.” It did not specify who had made the post.

“Given these acts, we are ceasing any further discussions with CJA and Mr. Dillz. FACETS will not tolerate harassment of its staff from any organization,” the theater said in the statement.
In an interview, Even-Esh distanced himself from Facets’ allegations and rejected the idea that he had acted inappropriately.

“I never did that, so that has nothing to do with me, I’m just the one who got cancelled,” he said. He later added, “I was the one who reached out to them to set up the calls so for me it feels a little bit of a slap in the face.”

He said he had hoped for a different outcome after speaking repeatedly with the theater in the weeks since the canceled May 13 screening.

“I’m extremely let down and exhausted and emotionally like an emotional roller coaster,” he said. “I really spent a lot of time preparing to work with them.”

Committed to showcasing Jewish stories'
Facets says it remains committed to showcasing Jewish stories, noting that it hosted a screening of a different film as part of the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema’s 20th Anniversary Celebration in March. Earlier this month, the theater also screened “No Other Land,” the Oscar-winning documentary about the Israeli demolition of a village in the West Bank. Despite critical acclaim, “No Other Land” has not achieved wide distribution in the United States.

Even-Esh said he believed Facets had excluded his film because it only wanted to air certain Jewish perspectives. Facets’ statement listed other Jewish-themed movies it had screened, but Dillz said they present an incomplete picture of the Jewish experience.

“They’re afraid of random calls and they’re afraid of emails, and they want Jewish films that aren’t going to get people angry or thinking,” he said.

“All the films that they cited in that letter, none of those films have anything to do with my film,” he said at another point. “None of those films show a sort of pro-Israel approach, so that’s what selective Jewishness is — I think I’m making up the term — or silent exclusion, this bigotry”.

Israel’s wartime aviation crisis is feared to become more than a travel and tourism issue — it could soon evolve into a severe economic and political concern, furthering the country’s isolation should countries follow through on threats of sanctions over the war in Gaza.

Many foreign airlines have extended flight suspensions to Tel Aviv due to the security situation following a Houthi missile strike that recently hit the grounds of Ben Gurion airport, leaving Israel’s connection to the outside world largely in the hands of its own carriers.

But some fear that these could also be endangered as major Western European allies review bilateral trade ties with Israel amid peak levels of criticism over its conduct of the war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

The dwindling support for Israel by European leaders raises questions about the threat of further punitive measures that could affect the country’s key bilateral pacts, such as Israel’s Open Skies aviation agreements, which enable Israeli airlines to connect local travelers with the rest of the world at more competitive prices and without restrictions.

In 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European countries banned all planes registered in Russia from traversing their airspace. In response, Russia closed its own airspace to flights operated by carriers from countries that announced bans.

“Israel is in a very dire position in Europe right now and the big question is if there will be kind of an avalanche of reactions with threats of sanctions and the like, and how further they can deteriorate,” said Prof. Yossi Shain, a former MK and current head of Tel Aviv University’s School of Political Science, Government and International Affairs.

“In Europe, there is very hostile and angry language toward Israel, but whether that translates into imposing sanctions on barring Israeli airlines — I hope not, but you never know. Much of it depends on what will happen in Gaza, and if there is a fiasco pending greater than we see now,” Shain told The Times of Israel.

“To make such a move is to define Israel as a pariah state and isolate the country in the most acute fashion, because this would be a statement or policy toward Israel that would be unprecedented,” he said.

Gali Ingber, head of finance studies at the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon Lezion, said that although criticism of the government’s conduct in Gaza was mounting, barring Israeli airlines from international airspace would be a drastic and unlikely move, as it would likely hurt many countries that have key defense and other commercial deals with Israel.

Prof. Yossi Shain from Tel Aviv University’s School of Political Science, Government and International Affairs. (Courtesy of Tel Aviv University)
“We are not in a situation in which European leaders are viewing Israel and its leadership eye-to-eye with Russia and its leader, Putin, who invaded Ukraine,” said Ingber. “There is still an understanding that Israel was attacked on October 7 and had no choice but to defend itself and is fighting to bring back the remaining hostages held in Gaza.”

Canceling the EU-Israel Open Skies agreement outright would also require unanimity among its 27 state signatories, something that is unlikely with Israel retaining the support of several EU nations.

But any steps could have drastic consequences for Israel and the airlines.

A boycott of Israeli flagship carrier El Al and smaller local carriers Israir and Arkia would dent their earnings and force them to cut their workforce and take other drastic cost-cutting measures, said Ingber.

“It would isolate Israelis from Europe and other destinations, as many foreign airlines have not resumed flight services to Israel during the war period,” said Ingber. “Such a move would disrupt supply chains, logistics, air delivery of medical technology and equipment, as well as hurt exports and many other sectors of the local economy, which in turn would lead to higher prices and inflation, to name a few of the catastrophic repercussions.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry and El Al did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Transportation Ministry said it was not aware of any immediate threat to Israel’s aviation agreements.

The temporary hiatus of many foreign airlines during the ongoing war, which has seen rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and Iraq, plus two large missile barrages from Iran, has led to Israeli airlines, chiefly El Al, operating with a near-monopoly on some routes.

Trade relation woes
Last week, Israel’s top trading partner and ally, the European Union, decided to review its binding political and commercial association agreement with Jerusalem over alleged human rights abuses amid Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza.

Israel’s Ambassador to the European Union Haim Regev said diplomatic efforts by the Foreign Ministry had succeeded in stopping the bloc from suspending the pact and agreeing instead to reexamine it after Jerusalem enlisted the support of 10 out of the EU’s 27 member states.

“We cannot speculate on the outcomes of the review before we have looked into the issues,” an EU official told The Times of Israel.

In another economic blow, the UK last Tuesday declared that it was suspending negotiations on upgraded trade ties with Israel, a day after joining with France and Canada in a strongly worded statement against Israel’s military actions in Gaza and its blockade on humanitarian aid, with all three threatening to take “concrete steps” against Israel.

The EU has called on Israel to halt its war with Hamas in Gaza and demanded a lifting of restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave. After an 11-week blockade on aid entering Gaza, Israel began allowing trucks of humanitarian assistance to enter the Strip last week, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu citing international pressure as driving the move.

The impact of [the UK] pausing trade talks with Israel is uncertain. It appears to be more of a gesture,” said Joan Ryan, CEO of ELNET-UK, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening Europe-Israel relations. “On its own as one single measure, it’s unlikely to have a significant impact on Israeli decision making — nor will it secure the UK government’s stated aim of bringing the conflict in Gaza to an end.”

“When the UK government announced a pause in trade talks, it was welcomed by Hamas, and the terror group would certainly welcome a cessation of the Open Skies policy. We must be very careful not to make gestures that open the door to more serious measures,” said Ryan, adding that a loss of Open Skies would be a “very serious measure,” which she said she does not anticipate.

Israel may still have open skies agreements, but since a Houthi ballistic missile struck within the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport on May 4, and the Yemen-based terror group threatened to “blockade” Israel’s main international airport, most foreign airlines again halted their flight services to and from Tel Aviv, with only very few resuming their operations after the attack, Ryan noted.

Since the collapse of Israel’s latest ceasefire with Hamas on March 18, the Iran-backed group has launched 42 missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel in what it calls acts of solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians.

On Friday, Houthi officials indicated they would consider targeting Israeli civilian airlines.

“By their aggressive terrorist actions, the Houthis are trying to precipitate a situation where, in practice, nobody is flying to Israel,” said Ryan. “All democratic governments must be very careful not to take actions that, instead of achieving their stated aims of a ceasefire and the release of hostages, further entrench and embolden Hamas in their terrorist activities.”

Shain said that the horrific images from war-torn Gaza were influencing European public opinion and pressuring local leaders to become impatient and take action.

Earlier this month, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called Israel a “genocidal state,” while French President Emmanuel Macron deemed Israeli activity in Gaza “unacceptable” and “shameful.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot accused Israel of blocking humanitarian aid and “turning Gaza into a dying ground, if not a cemetery.”

“The mood and European public opinion shifted over recent weeks after we had an incredible receptive ear in Europe following the October 7 atrocities, which is no longer there,” said Shain, who formerly served as head of the Knesset’s delegation for relations with the European Parliament. “The fact that the war is lingering without any end in sight, alongside the reports on humanitarian disasters and casualties in Gaza, puts Israel in a very dangerous place.”

“The danger for Israel is that even friends in Italy, in France and other places, like in Holland, are becoming completely impatient, because they see Israel’s inability to end the war,” he cautioned.

What is even more worrying, said Shain, is that there is a perception in Europe that there are “bloodthirsty crazies” running Israel, which he said was very pervasive in many European capitals.

Gali Ingber, head of finance studies at the College of Management Academic Studies. (Courtesy)
Shain pointed to remarks by both far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has vowed to “totally destroy” Gaza, and left-wing head of The Democrat party, Yair Golan, who claimed this week that the government is “killing babies as a hobby.”

“The incredibly irresponsible articulation by some right-wing Israeli politicians is putting a dangerous dent in Israel’s moral claims,” warned Shain. “Israel’s claim to victimhood has been reduced so significantly, not only because of the war in Gaza, but also because of the poisonous rhetoric of some of its stupid politicians, who are giving ammunition to those who are calling for sanctions against Israel.”

“Already due to the Houthi threat of missile attacks, there is a lack of foreign airlines flying to and from Israel because of security reasons, and if this slowly becomes the norm then Israel is becoming less and less interesting — that’s a huge danger when put into the perspective of not even being perceived as an attractive, but a destructive place,” said Shain.

A week after the murder of Israeli embassy workers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim in DC, multiple pro-Palestine and Marxist groups have rallied behind the attacker – Elias Rodriguez – and announced campaigns to free him.

The most prominent of these campaigns was started by Unity of Fields – formerly known as Palestine Action US – which announced a “Free Elias Rodriguez Organizing Committee” on Monday.

The campaign is co-signed by 28 other pro-Palestine or Marxist groups, including Palestine News Network, The United Liberation Front for Palestine, the Chinese Palestine Solidarity Action Network, the DSA Liberation Caucus, the Bronx Anti-War coalition, and Tariq el-Tahrir Youth and Student Network.

The campaign statement calls Elias Rodriguez’s murder of the two embassy workers on May 21 “a legitimate act of resistance against the zionist state and its genocidal campaign in Gaza.”
“The time has now come for real consequences; they have left no other option,” it added.

The statement then launched into a multi-paragraph diatribe about Zionist supremacy and imperialism before adding that “in this light, the operation conducted by Elias Rodriguez against Israel’s diplomatic functionaries in Washington DC – people actively engaged in facilitating this comprehensive violence across the globe by creating the diplomatic space to continue and deepen it – was, by his own account, a declaration of ENOUGH!”

Such counter-violence is legitimate, it is justice.”

Allegedly citing international humanitarian law, the statement said, “Elias Rodriguez’s act was fully justified, at that place where legal and moral duties meet,” according to the “duty” under IHL “to take action to stop genocide, including the use of violence to do so.” Unity of Fields acknowledged that this duty is attributed to states, but said that due to the lack of “sufficient action” from states, the action must be done by “non-state

“Elias Rodriguez exacted a consequence, a mere drop in the bucket of consequences due to the zionist movement and its military garrison of a state,” it continued. “May it redound to teach a lesson and set an example.”

THE CAMPAIGN urged “opponents of imperialism, zionism, and genocide to rally to defend Elias Rodriguez, and through this defense support the legitimacy and necessity of resistance itself.”
“If we allow them to silently kill Elias Rodriguez, if we sit back and watch or allow ourselves to forget his resistance, then they will have also killed a part of our movement, a part of us; that part that yearns for justice against the outrageous and humiliating impunity of this system of genocide and, indeed, biocide. Again, we have no choice but to defend Elias Rodriguez.”

The statement ended with a call for people to mail letters to Rodriguez, send monetary support, attend his court hearings, and “raise voices.”

The Democratic Socialists of America’s Liberation Caucus – a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist caucus within the DSA – supported UoF’s petition and wrote “Free Elias Rodriguez and all political prisoners.”
In response to the DSA itself condemning the murder of the two, Unity of Fields reposted a tweet saying “what did y’all think decolonization meant? vibes? papers? essays?”

UoF also called on DSA mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to “commend the DSA Liberation Caucus for upholding Elias Rodriguez’s righteous action, which is the most anyone in this country has done for Palestine.”
Separately to UoF’s campaign, Samidoun co-founder Charlotte Kates published a series of tweets in defense of Rodriguez, referring to the two victims as legitimate targets.

“Zionist ‘embassy staff’ are the closest thing to IDF soldiers you’ll find in most countries,” Kates wrote. “There is no conversation in which Zionist embassies should be considered anything other than active outposts of the genocidal entity; the representatives of Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, and the rest around the world.”

“Considering official representatives of the genocidal entity as “innocent” and “precious” is nothing other than normalization of genocide.”

She also referred to Yaron Lischinsky as “the German Christian who went to Palestine to serve in the occupation army and then market the genocide internationally as its agent” and included screenshots of previous posts by Lischninsky where he praised the IDF.

“The occupation has no “right to exist,” and the assassination of the political AND military leadership of people under occupation and colonialism is entirely illegitimate,” she added.

MIT class president Megha Vemuri dedicated her commencement speech to Palestine at the University’s graduation on Thursday.

Vemuri wore a kefiyyah on top of her robe and stated that “MIT wants a free Palestine.”

“You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestine activists on campus. You faced threats, intimidation, and suppression coming from all directions, especially your own university officials. But you prevailed because the MIT community that I know would never tolerate a genocide,” she continued

Vemuri spoke against Israel, saying that the country was trying to “wipe Palestine off the face of the earth,” adding that MIT was complicit.

Vemuri argued that MIT’s ties with the IDF meant that “Israel's assault on the Palestinian people is not only aided and abetted by our country, but our school.”

“As scientists, engineers, academics, and leaders, we have a commitment to support life. Support aid efforts, call for an arms embargo, and keep demanding now, as alumni, that MIT cuts the ties,” she said.

She concluded with the traditional turning of the class ring, saying that the alumni would now “carry with us the stamp of the MIT name, the same name that is directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”

MIT President expressed disapproval at the speech
MIT President Sally Kornbluth took the stage immediately after, expressing her disapproval of Vemuri’s speech.

“At MIT, we value freedom of expression. But today is about the graduates, so it's time for me to charge you all,” Kornbluth said.

“There is a time and a place to express yourselves, and you will have many, many years to do it.”

The Barcelona City Council has severed relations with Israel, international media reported on Friday.

The proposal for breaking relations with the Jewish state was made by the Catalunya en Comú (People's Party) and the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), and said that the city will suspend "institutional relations with the current Israeli government until respect for international law and international humanitarian law is restored and respect for the basic rights of the Palestinian people is guaranteed," according to the proposal's text that was accessed by El Pais.

The PSC, which co-signed the suspension of relations, was joined by votes from the Republican Left of Catalonia party (ERC), which also presented a request to the city's mayor, Jaume Collboni, to ban Israel from the Fira de Barcelona trade fair institution.

The Spanish city had also decided to sever its status as a twin city with Tel Aviv.

The Hamas terrorist organization issued a statement, commending the Barcelona City Council for cutting ties with Israel and for suspending the partnership with Tel Aviv.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology banned the 2025 class president from Friday's graduation commencement ceremony after she delivered a pro-Palestinian speech at an event Thursday.

The university said in a statement Friday without naming the student that the woman delivered a speech at Thursday's OneMIT commencement ceremony that was not the one provided in advance.

"While that individual had a scheduled role at today’s Undergraduate Degree Ceremony, she was notified that she would not be permitted at today’s events," said university spokesperson Kimberly Allen. "MIT supports free expression but stands by its decision, which was in response to the individual deliberately and repeatedly misleading Commencement organizers and leading a protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony."

The speech was shared online by the Palestinian Youth Movement, which identified the student as Megha Vemuri. Vemuri wore a Keffiyeh during the speech, and called out MIT for having research ties with the Israel army and "aiding and abetting" the country with its "assault on the Palestinian people

Her speech was met by cheers and applause from her fellow classmates, some of whom held up a Palestinian flag.

Vemuri is not the only graduate who has been penalized for her political views.

Earlier this month, New York University withheld student Logan Rozos' diploma after he delivered an unapproved commencement speech to address what he called the “atrocities currently happening in Palestine” during the Israel-Hamas war.

NYU condemned Rozos' speech, calling it an expression of "his personal and one-sided political views."

France’s Holocaust memorial, two synagogues and a restaurant in central Paris were vandalized with green paint overnight, according to police sources on Saturday, prompting condemnation from government and city officials.

A suspect is in custody after what the FBI is calling a "targeted act of violence" during a peaceful march in support of Israeli hostages at the outdoor Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday.

Witnesses said the suspect used a "makeshift flamethrower" and threw Molotov cocktails that burned multiple victims, police and the FBI said. Boulder police say eight people were injured.

The suspect was identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, FBI Special Agent in Charge Mike Michalek said Sunday evening. Soliman was allegedly heard yelling "Free Palestine" during the attack, according to Michalek, who said that it was "clear this is a targeted act of violence" and it is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

Soliman is an Egyptian national, government officials confirmed to CBS Colorado. He arrived in California in 2022 on a non-immigrant visa, multiple sources told CBS News. That original visa expired in Feb. 2023, the sources said. Soliman had recently been living in Colorado Springs.

The FBI said later Sunday night it was "conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity related to the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder" in El Paso County, Colorado, where Colorado Springs is located.

A walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza was taking place in Boulder's downtown at the time of the attack. Two sources said witnesses told investigators the suspect also allegedly yelled "End Zionist!" during the attack.

The victims of the attack included four women and four men ranging in age from 52 to 88, police said. One was seriously injured, with Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn saying it would be "safe to say" that person was in critical condition.

Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CBS Colorado the 88-year-old victim is a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe, calling her a "very loving person." Another victim is a professor at CU, Wilhelm said.

The people who were injured were outside the historic Boulder County Courthouse at 13th Street and Pearl Street. A burn scar could be seen in the space in front of the building. Witnesses said they saw people writhing on the ground and people running with water to try to help immediately afterward.

UCHealth confirmed that two victims were flown by helicopter to its burn unit. Four others were taken to Boulder Community Health, police said, but they had all either been transferred or discharged later Sunday night, the hospital said. It did not provide specifics on how many had been discharged.

Following the attack, which happened at 1:26 p.m. local time, three blocks of Pearl Street were evacuated. Investigators said there was a vehicle of interest in that zone, which an FBI official later said belonged to the suspect. The evacuations were lifted after nightfall.

Omer Shachar, Run for Their Lives Denver co-leader, told CBS News the group reached out to Boulder police about security concerns surrounding the walk several times before Sunday's event. CBS News has reached out to Boulder police for comment.

FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino described the incident as a terrorist attack and said around 3:30 p.m. that FBI agents were at the scene.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on social media, "The @ODNIgov's National Counterterrorism Center is working with the FBI and local law enforcement on the ground investigating the targeted terror attack against a weekly meeting of Jewish community members who had just gathered in Boulder, CO to raise awareness of the hostages kidnapped during Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Thank you to first responders and local authorities for your quick response and action."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the victims were attacked "simply because they were Jews" and that he trusted U.S. authorities would prosecute "the cold blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law," according to the Reuters news agency.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who is Jewish, condemned the attack in a news release, saying it was a "heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community."

Run For Their Lives, which organized the walk, said, "This is not a protest; it is a peaceful walk to show solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release." The group met at 1 p.m. at Pearl Street and 8th Street to walk the length of the Pearl Street Mall and back with a stop at the courthouse for a video.

Ed Victor, who was participating in the walk, said they've been holding these silent marches every week since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack to raise awareness for the hostages still in Gaza. They stop at the courthouse to sing songs, tell stories and read the names of the hostages each week. He said around 30 people were participating in Sunday's walk.

Victor said that the marchers occasionally encounter hecklers, but they try not to respond and continue peacefully down Pearl Street. People also often nod, clap or thank them as they walk by, he added. He said that he never expected that someone would attack them.

"So we stood up, lined up in front of the old Boulder courthouse, and I was actually on the far west side. And there was somebody there that I didn't even notice, although he was making a lot of noise, but I'm just focused on my job of being quiet and getting lined up. And, from my point of view, all of a sudden, I felt the heat. It was a Molotov cocktail equivalent, a gas bomb in a glass jar, thrown. Av [another marcher] saw it, a big flame as high as a tree, and all I saw was someone on fire," said Victor.

Victor said they tried to put the fire out. As another marcher with medical experience stepped in to take care of her, Victor stayed with her husband to comfort him. He said volunteers also rushed in to help, bringing water.

"I saw the aftermath," said street performer Peter Irish. "It was like minutes after. I came out, it was chaos, people were writhing on the ground. It was traumatic to watch, to be honest with you. It was chaos."

The Trump administration said Wednesday that it has notified the accreditor for Columbia University that the school violated federal anti-discrimination laws, threatening the university's accreditation status by saying it "no longer appears to meet the Commissions accreditation standards."

The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights "determined that Columbia University acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964," the Education Department said in a statement.

After an investigation that began in February, the departments found Columbia "failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia's campus and consequently denied these students' equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law," the Education Department said.

The Trump administration said the Ivy League university has been in violation since the war in the Middle East began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds more hostage. Israel's retaliation on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 54,000 people.

Columbia said in a statement that it is "aware of the concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights today" and that it has "addressed those concerns directly" with its accreditor.

"Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it," it said.

The government said Wednesday that the school is now in violation of the standards set by Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Columbia's accreditor, which require that "a candidate or accredited institution possesses or demonstrates ... compliance with all applicable government laws and regulations."

"In light of OCR's determination, Columbia University no longer appears to meet the Commission’s accreditation standards," the Education Department said.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement that Columbia has "acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus" since Oct. 7, 2023, calling the school's actions "immoral" and "unlawful."

McMahon said the department will work with the accreditor "to ensure Columbia's compliance with accreditation standards including compliance with federal civil rights laws."

The Education Department said in its release Wednesday that accreditors must notify their universities if they have been made aware that one of their schools isn’t complying with federal law and should establish plans to right those wrongs, adding that if a school "fails to come into compliance within a specified period, an accreditor must take appropriate action against its member institution."

The government didn’t provide any further details about a timeline or necessary actions.

If Columbia loses its accreditation — which would lead to its losing access to student aid funds — it most likely won't happen immediately.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, according to its own policies, will set up a time to review evidence with Columbia officials before it makes any decision. In response, the school will probably try to demonstrate to the accreditor what it is doing to comply with federal law, and the accreditor will determine whether the efforts are sufficient.

Columbia is simultaneously engaged in finding a resolution with the federal government on the issues, meaning there is likely to be overlap in the policies Columbia changes to satisfy the accreditation standards and the federal antisemitism investigations.

Colleges are found out of compliance with civil rights laws regularly by both Democratic and Republican administrations, but it's exceedingly rare to lose accreditation over it, because they usually reach resolutions with the government to come into compliance.

Rawan Abbasi, assistant director for communications for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, said the accreditor is "aware of the press release issued today by the United States Department of Education (USDE) regarding Columbia University and can confirm that we received a letter regarding this matter this afternoon" but declined to comment further

New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a leading candidate in the New York City mayoral race, drew fire on the debate stage on Wednesday when he would not recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

Mamdani is polling in second place ahead of this month’s Democratic party primary, which will likely decide the winner of the November election in the mostly Democratic US city.

Mamdani, a state assemblymember from Queens, is a longtime pro-Palestinian activist and is harshly critical of Israel. His views on Israel’s right to exist have come under scrutiny in recent weeks and he has repeatedly avoided acknowledging Israel’s Jewish character. He has previously identified as an anti-Zionist.

During Wednesday’s debate, their first, the nine primary candidates were asked where their first visit abroad would be if they were elected.

Three of the candidates said Israel — frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, the former New York State governor; longshot candidate Whitney Tilson; and Jewish former city comptroller Scott Stringer, who said it would be his first visit to Israel.

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said she would choose “the holy land.” City Comptroller Brad Lander, also Jewish, said he would visit Canada due to the Trump administration’s antagonism toward Canada.

Mamdani said he would “stay in New York City.” The interviewers took the opportunity to press Mamdani on whether he would consider a visit to Israel at all.

“I believe you need not travel to Israel to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers,” he said.

“Yes or no, do you believe in a Jewish state of Israel?” he was asked.

“I believe Israel has the right to exist, as a state with equal rights,” he said.

“Not as a Jewish state,” Cuomo interjected. “And his answer was no, he won’t visit Israel.”

Mamdani has voiced a variation of the same line several times before when pressed over Israel’s Jewish character, and has not yet acknowledged Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

After he affirmed last month, while under pressure, Israel’s right to exist without mentioning Israel’s Jewish character, he came under fire from anti-Israel activists.

Mamdani is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, a far-left group that has made anti-Israel activism one of its party planks.

Jewish issues made scant appearance in the two-hour debate hosted by the news outlets NBC4 New York, Telemundo 47, and Politico.

The candidates were asked about the Trump administration’s move to revoke Columbia University’s accreditation. They all opposed the move, while acknowledging that antisemitism was a serious issue, except for Mamdani, who did not mention antisemitism in his response, although in the following question he acknowledged the “very real issue of antisemitism.”

“There’s been antisemitism in this city.I believe it’s a growing problem and I believe the rhetoric about Israel has actually inflamed the antisemitism. Put that aside, I think this is just another overreach of the Trump administration,” Cuomo said.

This is a frightening time for Jews and I feel it really personally after the flamethrowing in Boulder, Colorado, and the two murders in Washington, DC,” Lander said. “But let’s be clear — Donald Trump, he platforms white nationalists and antisemites all the time. This has nothing to do with keeping anyone safe.”

The candidates also opposed the Trump administration’s arrest of Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil.

“This is a continuation of Trump eroding democracy, chipping away at due process. He should be released,” Cuomo said

A major pro-Israel conference slated to begin in four days in Dallas that had 1,000 committed attendees postponed the event “indefinitely,” citing “escalating terror threats.”

The decision came after organizers had already changed venues for the Israel Summit, which draws major Christian and Jewish pro-Israel speakers, because of security concerns. It was set to take place from June 9-11.

“This is America in 2025. A pro-Israel conference scheduled for Dallas this week, where I was scheduled to speak, which sold over 1,000 tickets, was forced to cancel because of threats from violent Jihadists,” stated David Friedman, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel.

“Law enforcement was completely cooperative, but the threats were of a nature that required cancellation,” Friedman said. “When the president says we need to take our country back, this is a good example of what he means.”

Josiah Hilton, show host for the Israel Guys, which was to co-host the event with HaYovel, stated that just 10 days before this year’s event, local police and intelligence officials in Dallas notified organizers that it had been elevated to a “high-threat event.”

That meant that they would have to develop “a mandatory security plan with a substantial budget estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” and their original venue was no longer feasible, according to Hilton.

At the time, organizers believed that security concerns were due to the recent murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington.

The organizers were able to quickly secure what Hilton called a “new and significantly safer location just north of Dallas.” At the new site, there was to be “top-tier private security, with additional support from local law enforcement and coordination with the Texas governor’s office.” (JNS sought comment from the governor’s office, from the FBI, and from Dallas and Arlington police.)

Organizers announced on Thursday that the new venue, which they didn’t name, was also forced to withdraw, “citing escalating safety concerns and mounting external pressure.”

That pressure “came in the form of indirect and direct threats made by American, pro-Hamas, Jihadist groups, who issued calls to ‘target’ the Israel Summit and the private facility where the event was slated to be held,” organizers said.

Joshua Waller, an Israel Guys co-host and director of operations at HaYovel, stated on social media that the cancellation was “due to the immense security needs that were needed to secure a relatively small gathering of Christians and Jews to support Israel, in Texas, of all places.”

While they had the full cooperation of Texas law-enforcement agencies, the sheriff’s department, Texas Rangers and the FBI, organizers decided they had to cancel.

“Every option was explored, yet ultimately, no safe path forward remained—a reality organizers never imagined possible in the United States,” Waller stated.

The Palestinian Youth Movement Dallas and Jewish Voice for Peace mobilized, under the banner of “Texas un-welcomes the genocide summit,” and outed the new location: televangelist Kenneth Copeland’s facilities in an isolated area near Newark, Texas.

After a barrage of security threats, the new venue also had to cancel. Hilton said that “we completely understand.”

For more than 20 years, HaYovel has coordinated Christian volunteers to spend time in Israel, generally helping grape farmers or planting trees.

HaYovel started The Israel Guys, a media initiative, in 2013. Millions worldwide watch the current version, which has five hosts and began in 2021.

Ohad Tal, a Knesset member, and former congresswoman Michele Bachmann were among the scheduled speakers. There was also a premiere of a film about the Temple Mount and a concert planned.

In May 2024, the inaugural Israel Summit was scheduled for the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel, but the hotel canceled the event—and room reservations for about 400 participants—10 days before it was to begin.

A Nashville-based Palestinian group had issued an “urgent call to action” for its members to call the hotel and tell them, “We will not allow genocidal racists to hold a conference in our city.” The hotel reportedly consulted with local police, concerned about physical danger.