From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Northwestern University reaches agreement with anti-Israel protesters to dismantle encampment
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Northwestern University has reached an agreement with pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrators that will see them take down their “Gaza solidarity encampment,” in one of the first such deals aimed at de-escalating protests that have rocked campuses across the US.
The students agreed to take down all but one of the nearly 100 tents erected on the school quad since Thursday.
In exchange, Northwestern has agreed to take several steps to expand student engagement in the school’s financial investments.
The protesters have demanded that the university divest from Israeli companies and cease partnerships with Israeli institutions.
Northwestern also agreed to fund the tuition of five Palestinian undergraduates and hire two visiting Palestinian faculty members in addition to providing a temporary space on campus for Middle Eastern and Muslim students until their existing house finishes renovation.
Jewish and pro-Israel groups slammed the agreement.
“Today, Northwestern University declared itself a safe space for antisemitism,” the Israeli Consulate in Chicago tweets. “We are appalled by Northwestern’s decision to turn its back on Jewish and Israeli students who have been targets of hateful harassment and intimidation. This decision rewards the pro-terror, anti-Israel, and anti-America aggressors on campus.”
The protesters had been heard chanting for an intifada and for Israel’s destruction. They also accused the university’s president of killing children in Gaza.
“You certainly heard and acted generously towards those with loud, at times hateful voices. The lack of any reassuring message to our community has also been heard loud and clear.”
@NorthwesternU pic.twitter.com/RA2wHfjR5q— ChicagoJCRC (@ChicagoJCRC) April 30, 2024
