Foul-mouthed anti-Israel protesters disrupted an event at Cornell University, where former Palestinian and Israeli officials came together to discuss peace in the region.
The “Pathways to Peace” discussion — which featured Israel’s former foreign minister and vice prime minister, Tzipi Livni — descended into chaos when unruly activists broke out in antisemitic chants and hurled abuse at the politician.
“F–k you, war criminals,” a keffiyeh-clad female student yelled, according to video of the commotion shared by Cornell student Sam Friedman.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” other demonstrators shouted, using the slogan deemed antisemitic by the Anti-Defamation League.
4 Vulgar anti-Israel protesters disrupted a “Pathways to Peace” panel at Cornell University. X/_samfriedman_
Friedman, a 21-year-old junior at the Ivy League institution’s College of Engineering, said he attended because he was “excited” to hear both perspectives.
“I was very excited for the event, I’m a Jewish student, and I’m interested in what’s happening in the Middle East,” he told The Post.
“I thought this was a really good way to hear not just Israeli perspectives, but also Palestinian perspectives.”But from the start, it was “marred with protesters,” Friedman said.
“The irony is that you had Livni, who is a left-wing, pro-Palestinian Israeli, an advocate for the Palestinian state, and the former head of the Palestinian authority, and meanwhile these students not only won’t listen to them but they’re shouting them down,” the junior said.
At least 17 protesters were arrested at the Monday panel discussion, where Livni expressed the importance of respecting both sides.
“I’m not here to open the kind of blame game, who is to blame, because I do believe, even now, after Oct. 7, that the only way forward, if we want to live in peace, is to acknowledge both sides, the legitimate aspiration of both sides, to a state of their own, Israel and the Palestinians,” she said.
Other panelists included former US Ambassador to Israel Daniel B. Shapiro and the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Salam Fayyad.
It was moderated by Ryan Crocker, former US ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria.
4 The event was taking place at Bailey Hall at Cornell’s Ithaca campus. Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The activists claimed the event presented a biased view of the conflict, despite both Israelis and Palestinians being part of the discussion.
Before the event even began, a banner was displayed outside where the event was taking place, calling for a walkout in protest of Livni’s inclusion.
Livni — who oversaw the First Gaza War in 2008-09, dubbed “Operation Cast Lead” — has been the subject of an arrest warrant in the UK for alleged war crimes.
4 Many of the demonstrators wore black-and-white keffiyehs. X/_samfriedman_ 4 The demonstrators were protesting the appearance of Israel’s former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. X/_samfriedman_
Monday’s event was free to attend but tickets had to be booked online beforehand.
“The protesters tried to book up a lot of tickets to prevent a lot of people who wanted to go to the event from attending,” Friedman said. “Those people were stuck waiting outside. The protesters definitely employed tactics to take away spots from people who actually wanted to listen.”
The wide-ranging discussion started with a message to the audience that different opinions would be allowed from the Ivy League’s interim president Michael Kotlikoff, who was hosting the event.
“This is a region with a long and complex history, which has too often, in recent years, been reduced to binaries,” Kotlikoff said in a statement ahead of the event, as reported by the Cornell Chronicle.
“Through hearing firsthand from experts with direct, on-the-ground experience of the peace process, its collapse and the events of the past decades, we hope to challenge those misconceptions, and deepen our community’s understanding of the region’s current challenges and realities.”
The demonstration was led by the group Students for Justice in Palestine, who are now facing suspension, according to senior management at Cornell.
“The hundreds of members of the Cornell community who came to Bailey Hall to listen, learn, and respectfully debate experienced an evening of information, introspection, and critical self-examination,” Interim President Kotlikoff said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, the event was marred by disappointing disruptions. The ability of speakers to present opinions and ideas, and to engage in thoughtful dialogue with the university community, is critical to the educational process and fundamental to university life. Individuals attempting to shout down speakers and disrupt dialogue seriously compromise our values. Those who disrupted the Pathways to Peace event were swiftly removed.
“Cornell University Police identified 17 people responsible for this unacceptable disruption. Nine students will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for appropriate action, including the imposition of interim measures up to and including suspension. Staff members involved in the disruption will be referred for disciplinary actions through Human Resources. Outside disrupters will be issued persona non grata status, barring them from Cornell’s campus.
“Additionally, for advertising and organizing this disruption, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a student-run organization, faces suspension as a registered campus organization.”