Anti-Israel students surround car of Cornell president, claim he tried to run them over

Key Points:

• Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff and pro-Palestinian student protesters clashed after protesters surrounded his car following an on-campus Israel debate, with conflicting videos released about whether Kotlikoff backed into a protester.
• Kotlikoff condemned the protesters' actions as harassment and intimidation aimed at silencing speech, while the student group Students for a Democratic Cornell denied accusations of banging on the car and reiterated their claim that Kotlikoff struck a protester.
• The incident occurred after a two-part Israel-Palestine debate series featuring speakers with opposing views, including historian Benny Morris and pro-Palestinian Holocaust historian Norman Finkelstein, and was marked by efforts to foster academic debate amid heightened campus tensions.
• Cornell has recently imposed stricter protest rules following federal antisemitism allegations resolved by a $60 million settlement, and Kotlikoff has rejected calls from pro-Palestinian students to sever ties with Israel’s Technion university while encouraging open dialogue on the conflict.
• The event where the confrontation occurred was organized by the Cornell Political Union and included a no-technology policy to respect students' opportunity to speak openly on the divisive topic.