Universities in US and Canada Hire Israeli Firms to Curb Pro-Palestinian Protests

Washington, MINA – Universities in the United States and Canada have entered into agreements with Israeli security firms to suppress pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Saturday as quoted by Palestine Chronicle.

The report highlights that after former US President Donald Trump pledged to penalize academic institutions failing to curb “radicals and Hamas supporters,” several universities turned to Israeli security companies, or those with ties to Israel, for managing pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

“One of the most prominent examples is the City University of New York (CUNY), which has recently become a focal point for such protests,” the report said. The university reportedly “approved a $4 million security contract with Strategic Security Corp., a company owned by Joseph Sordi, a former NYPD officer and Mossad alumnus.”

The report also referenced incidents at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where personnel from Magen Am, a company with ties to the Israeli military, allegedly acted aggressively during protests in May.

UCLA confirmed that Magen Am worked alongside local law enforcement and was paid $1 million for its services.

Additionally, the Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC), which operates an exclusive branch in Israel, was contracted to oversee demonstrations across multiple U.S. university campuses.

In Canada, Concordia University in Montreal enlisted two Israeli security firms: Perceptage International, led by Adam Cohen, a former head of security for the Israeli Central Court, and Moshav Security Consulting, operated by Eyal Feldman, a former Israeli army reserve commander and advisor to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

In April, students and faculty at Columbia University in New York staged a sit-in opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza. They demanded the university sever academic ties with Israeli institutions and divest from companies supporting the occupation.

As US universities saw police intervention and arrests during protests, similar demonstrations spread internationally to campuses in France, the UK, Germany, Canada, and India.

Protesters expressed solidarity with their American counterparts and called for an end to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)