Palestinian students sue Columbia alleging discrimination

Current and former Palestinian students and staff sued Columbia University in New York, alleging it discriminated against its Palestinian community since late 2023, Al-Monitor reported.

The lawsuit said Columbia failed to protect Palestinian members from harassment and targeted them through what it described as "unfair and biased disciplinary hearings," according to the court filing.

Columbia has previously denied being discriminatory and has condemned hate. Local media reported that the university declined to comment on pending litigation, and Columbia did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Protests took place at Columbia and across the United States after the start of Israel's assault on Gaza following a deadly Palestinian Hamas attack in October 2023. Protesters demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel and called for universities to divest funds from companies supporting Israel.

In May 2025, Columbia suspended more than 65 students for their role in shutting down the university's main library in a pro-Palestinian demonstration. The demonstration took place while Columbia was negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration, which had cut federal funding after accusing the university of tolerating antisemitism during pro-Palestinian protests.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, said opposing Israel's assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories is not antisemitic and that advocacy for Palestinian rights should not be conflated with supporting extremism. Columbia agreed in July last year to pay over $200 million to the U.S. government to resolve federal probes and restore most federal funding, while free speech groups condemned a protest crackdown involving arrests, suspensions, expulsions and degree revocations.