Cornell University's Student Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the administration for allowing former Israeli lawmaker Tzipi Livni to speak on campus. Livni, a prominent left-of-center politician and longtime critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has supported the creation of a Palestinian Arab state and frequently opposed Netanyahu’s policies. Despite her positions aligning with many progressive views, student activists objected to her role as Israel’s foreign minister during the 2008 to 2009 military operation in Gaza.

The incident challenges the claim that campus criticism is limited to opposition against Netanyahu or specific right-of-center policies. Livni’s denunciation suggests that hostility extends beyond particular leaders to Israeli officials more broadly, even those associated with the political left. The episode highlights deep divisions over Israel on university campuses.

The article also points to a recent missile strike that killed four Palestinian Arab women in a town governed by the Palestinian Authority, noting that local authorities have not built bomb shelters despite decades of governance and substantial foreign aid. It argues that funds have instead been directed toward payments to imprisoned militants and their families, raising questions about local leadership priorities.