College campuses throughout the United States have witnessed an upsurge of pro-Palestinian demonstrations recently. Several universities such as Columbia University (the hub of these protests) have summoned police forces, resulting in hundreds of arrests across multiple locations. The tensions between Palestine and Israel surged following Hamas’ October 7 attack that led to the deaths of around 1200 individuals along with capturing over 200 hostages. In response, Israeli troops attacked Gaza which has claimed more than 34,000 lives as per data from Gazan health ministry; however, CNN cannot independently verify these figures due to a lack of international media access in the region.
The protesters at Columbia University have pledged not to disperse until their demands are met by the university administration which includes cutting ties with Israeli universities and divesting funds from Israel-linked entities among other requests. Similar encampments have been established on campuses such as MIT, Emerson College, UT Austin, Michigan State University, and Berkeley.
As Jewish students express concerns about their safety in these circumstances, college administrators are under growing pressure to bring the protests back within acceptable bounds from legislative authorities. At USC, almost a hundred protesters were arrested on Wednesday following police orders for dispersal.
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