US, Canadian universities hire Israeli firms to curb pro-Palestinian protests

By Middle East Monitor

A report published on Saturday by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that several universities in both the US and Canada have entered into agreements with Israeli security companies to suppress pro-Palestinian protests occurring on their campuses, Anadolu Agency reports.

The report notes that after the election of former US President Donald Trump, who pledged to penalize academic institutions that failed to control “radicals and Hamas supporters,” a number of universities in both countries turned to Israeli security firms, or those with links to Israel, to manage protests supporting Palestine.

The City University of New York (CUNY), a major hotspot for protests last year, has recently signed a $4 million contract with Strategy Security Corp. This company, owned by Yosef Sordi, a former New York City police officer, has publicly disclosed his professional training in Israel.

The report also draws attention to the involvement of Israeli security firms in violent confrontations that occurred in May at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Protesters stated that personnel from Magen Am, a company with Israeli military ties, were aggressive in their actions during the demonstrations. UCLA confirmed that the firm worked alongside local police to manage the protests, with the company receiving $1 million in return.

In addition, the Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC), which has an exclusive branch in Israel, was contracted to oversee protests across multiple US university campuses and protest locations.

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

In April, students and faculty opposing Israel’s war on Gaza held a sit-in at Columbia University in New York, demanding that the administration sever academic ties with Israeli universities and pull investments from companies supporting the occupation of Palestinian territories.

As police intervened and arrested dozens of protesters at US universities, similar demonstrations spread to universities across France, the UK, Germany, Canada, and India, as protesters expressed solidarity with their American counterparts and called for an end to the war in Gaza.

Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza has killed over 44,600 people, most of them women and children, since October 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice due to its war in Gaza.