Columbia Professor Cancels Classes Over Settlement Deal | JQJO

Columbia University historian Rashid Khalidi cancelled his fall teaching plans in protest of a $200 million settlement with the Trump administration. The settlement, reached after accusations of insufficient action against antisemitism on campus, requires Columbia to expand its Israel studies institute, review its Middle East curriculum, and monitor faculty speech. Khalidi criticized the deal in an open letter, arguing it compromises academic freedom and restricts criticism of Israeli policies. He contends the agreement's definition of antisemitism conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism, hindering honest discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.