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

A report by an Israeli newspaper reveals that several universities across the United States and Canada have engaged Israeli-linked security firms to suppress pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses.  

The report by the Yedioth Ahronoth highlights that following Donald Trump’s election campaign, during which he promised to penalize institutions that didn't adequately control “radicals and Hamas supporters,” many universities sought Israeli security companies for assistance in managing protest activities. 

The City University of New York (CUNY), a significant site for protests in the past year, has recently signed a contract worth $4 million with Strategy Security Corp., owned by Yosef Sordi, a former New York City police officer with 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.

Additionally, the Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC), which has a specific division in Israel, has been contracted to oversee demonstrations at various US university campuses.

In Montreal, Concordia University has engaged two Israeli security firms: Percentage International and Moshav Security Consulting.

In April, Columbia University students and faculty staged a sit-in opposing Israel's genocidal actions in Gaza, demanding the administration cut ties with Israeli universities and divest from companies supporting the occupation.

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 on Gaza.

Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza has killed over 44,664 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 war 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 genocidal campaign in Gaza.

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