Cornell President’s Car Bumps Into Students After Confrontation Over Gaza
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- A debate on the Gaza war and Israeli-Palestinian conflict at Cornell University escalated after the event during a walk with university president Michael Kotlikoff to the parking lot.
- President Kotlikoff claimed students banged on his vehicle as he tried to leave, an accusation denied by the students and not supported by their video footage.
- Video shows Kotlikoff’s SUV slowly reversing near students, brushing one and then accelerating to bump him, causing the student to stumble; another student claimed the car ran over his foot, though this is unclear on video.
- The incident highlights ongoing campus tensions related to the Israel-Hamas war and university responses to student protests, despite a general decline in demonstrations.
- The event was intended as a civil dialogue between supporters of Israel and the Palestinian cause but ended in confrontation.
