Prof. Rashid Khalidi Quits Columbia Over Pro-’Israel’ Crackdown Deal

By Staff, Agencies

Renowned Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi has announced he will not teach at Columbia University this fall, condemning the institution’s recent $200 million settlement with the U.S. government as a capitulation to political pressure aimed at silencing pro-Palestinian voices.

In an open letter published in The Guardian, Khalidi, Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies, criticized the university for surrendering academic independence in order to avoid losing federal funding.

“I cannot teach under the conditions Columbia has accepted,” he wrote.

The agreement, made in June, requires Columbia to expand its Institute for "Israel" and Jewish Studies, submit its Middle East curriculum to external review, and dismantle programs deemed unlawful by federal authorities.

An independent monitor will oversee implementation, and the university will also pay $21 million to the EEOC following claims of anti-Jewish discrimination.

Khalidi warned the settlement sets a dangerous precedent, conflating criticism of "Israeli" policies with antisemitism and undermining academic freedom.

“The apparatus Columbia has erected will punish speech critical of 'Israel',” he said, calling the external oversight of academic content “abhorrent.”

The deal follows months of student protests over the war in Gaza and demands for university divestment from companies linked to "Israeli" policies.

Critics said the settlement empowers political forces to control how Palestine is taught and discussed on campus.