(NEWSnet/AP) — Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California Wednesday, while new encampments organized at colleges across the nation, amid a wave of pro-Palestinian protests.

Since the war began last fall between Israel and Hamas militants, colleges and universities in the United States have seen intense student debate and protests. Some Jewish students say some of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe.

The recent chain reaction of protest activity began last week at Columbia University, where more  than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia’s green were arrested. Students at other campuses across the country have since set up similar encampments.

The crackdowns on student protesters have included suspensions and, in some cases, expulsions.

There also have been dozens of people arrested on charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct.

In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on U.S. college campuses in a video statement released Wednesday, saying the response of several university presidents has been “shameful” and calling on state, local and federal officials to intervene.

The student demands vary by campus. Among them:

  • Stop doing business with military weapons manufacturers that are supplying arms to Israel.
  • Stop accepting research money from Israel for projects that aid the country’s military efforts.
  • Stop investing college endowments with money managers who profit from Israeli companies or contractors.
  • Be more transparent about what money is received from Israel and what it’s used for.

Here’s some of what is being reported Wednesday:

Columbia University

 

The situation at Columbia University remained tense Wednesday, with campus officials saying it would continue talks with protesters for another 48 hours.

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik had set a midnight Tuesday deadline to reach an agreement on clearing an encampment but the school extended negotiations, saying it was making “important progress.”

Student protesters had committed to removing a significant number of tents, the New York university said in a statement. Columbia also said it had agreed with protest representatives that only students would remain at the encampment and they would make it welcoming, banning discriminatory or harassing language.

The reprieve at Columbia came hours before Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the area to meet with Jewish students and address concerns about antisemitism on college campuses.

“Neither Israel, nor these Jewish students on this campus will ever stand alone,” Johnson said as he spoke across the quad from the pro-Palestinian encampment.

“We can’t hear you,” protesters chanted.

Harvard University

 

Harvard University in Massachusetts had sought to stay ahead of protests this week by limiting access to Harvard Yard and requiring permission for tents and tables.

But protesters still decided to set up a camp with 14 tents Wednesday, which happened after a rally against the university’s suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.

University of Michigan

 

At an encampment of about 40 tents at the heart of the University of Michigan’s campus in Ann Arbor, almost every student wore a mask, which was handed to them when they entered.

Student protesters declined to identify themselves to reporters, saying they feared retribution by the university. Organizers of the protest said some students who had participated in prior protests at Michigan had been doxxed and punished.

But some students passing by shouted at the protesters to remove their masks and show their faces.

University of Southern California

 

At the University of Southern California, police removed several tents, then got into a tugging match with protesters over tents before falling back.

University of Texas at Austin

 

At the University of Texas at Austin, dozens of local police and state troopers formed a line Wednesday to prevent hundreds of students from marching through the campus, eventually clashing with the protesters and detaining multiple people.

State police — include some on horseback and holding batons — created a perimeter around the school’s main lawn and pulled several students to the ground while taking them into custody.

Troopers used megaphones to announce that people who remained protesting on the public school’s grounds would be arrested under criminal trespass charges.

Texas authorities reported Wednesday afternoon local time that more than 20 arrests have been made on campus.

 

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