While Summer Brings Quiet to Universities, Pro-Hamas Activism Remains
The Bridge of Sighs at Oxford University. Photo Credit: Michael D Beckwith/Flickr. Universities continue to reject demands for divestment from Israel. In the latest case, Smith College trustees rejected a proposal to divest from weapons…
Assessment
The summer lull in campus activism has not ended the underlying conflict over Israel on American campuses, as Smith College's rejection of a divestment proposal shows. More broadly, the piece highlights ongoing concern about Qatari financial influence in American education, with new disclosures revealing $1.2 billion in funding to colleges in 2025 and significant investments in public school districts. The scale of these expenditures, part of a much larger picture, raises questions about foreign influence in shaping academic discourse and curriculum.