At least 16 students and community members were arrested or detained on Monday during a peaceful walkout at Cornell University’s Ithaca campus. The demonstration, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Cornell, protested the presence of former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni at the “Pathways to Peace” event hosted by Interim President Michael Kotlikoff.
Livni, who led Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09, has been the subject of an arrest warrant in the UK for alleged war crimes. Other speakers at the event included Daniel B. Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, and Salam Fayyad, a former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. Protesters criticized the panel for presenting a biased view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
SJP published a guest column in the Cornell Daily Sun early Monday outlining their opposition to the event. Hours later, the Coalition for Mutual Liberation displayed a banner outside Willard Straight Hall announcing the walkout.
During the event, Kotlikoff initially assured the audience that expressions of opinion would be allowed. However, after a few attendees spoke against Livni’s involvement, the university police began making arrests. The first protester, who spoke about Livni’s alleged war crimes, left peacefully when asked but was still arrested. More arrests followed as attendees exited, with some detained despite not actively disrupting the event.
Witnesses described the police response as excessive, with some individuals being restrained or forcefully removed. One student was arrested while asking to retrieve their car keys from the building, while another was targeted for wearing a keffiyeh. Protesters who remained outside Bailey Hall in solidarity included students observing Ramadan, who broke their fast while waiting for the event to end.
Cornell University has not yet commented on the arrests.
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