A high-profile legal challenge has been brought against Columbia University by a cohort of current and former Palestinian students, faculty, and staff, who accuse the elite Ivy League institution of systemic anti-Palestinian discrimination and targeted repression of pro-Palestinian speech and organizing on its New York campus. The lawsuit was formally filed this week with the New York State Supreme Court, centered on allegations that unequal and punitive treatment of Palestinian community members began after the October 7, 2023 attacks led by Hamas in southern Israel and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
In the legal complaint, plaintiffs argue that Columbia has actively taken part in and amplified what they frame as racially, ethnically, and politically targeted targeting of Palestinians connected to the university. Prominent Palestinian activist and former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil publicly amplified the lawsuit via social media platform X, confirming that the action is rooted in the university’s discriminatory response to demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians and Gaza. In his public post announcing the suit, Khalil expressed solidarity with fellow plaintiffs, noting that Columbia chose to reward critics of pro-Palestinian speech and silence campus community members while Gaza faced Israeli bombardment and widespread food insecurity.
Core allegations in the filing outline two contrasting failures by the university: that administrators declined to adequately shield Palestinian students, faculty and staff from on-campus harassment, while simultaneously subjecting pro-Palestinian activists to disciplinary processes riddled with bias and inequity. One key incident cited in the suit is the 2024 “Resistance 101” campus event, where Columbia reportedly hired private investigators to conduct surveillance on participating students. Following that surveillance, six students were suspended and removed from university-owned housing, per the complaint.
The legal filing also calls out Columbia’s failure to respond meaningfully to documented physical targeting of Palestinian students on campus. These incidents include multiple cases where students had their traditional keffiyeh scarves forcibly removed, and a January 2024 incident where a irritant, foul-smelling substance was sprayed at a peaceful pro-Palestinian gathering. Additionally, the lawsuit challenges Columbia’s controversial 2024 decision to request deployment of New York City Police Department officers to campus to clear pro-Palestinian protest encampments and arrest participating demonstrators.
The list of plaintiffs includes a range of current and former university affiliates: Hadeel Assali, a lecturer and former anthropology graduate student; Bahia Munem, a former lecturer; Mahdi Sabbagh, a current PhD candidate; Maryam Alwan, a 2025 graduate and former student organizer; and Layla Saliba, a 2025 graduate of Columbia’s School of Social Work. Saliba is no stranger to accusations of anti-Palestinian discrimination at the institution: she was among the students who brought an earlier federal civil rights complaint against Columbia in 2024, when she stated Palestinian students faced disparate poor treatment and called on the university to formally recognize anti-Palestinian racism on campus.
This new legal action comes after years of growing controversy surrounding Columbia’s management of pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. In July 2025, Columbia struck a deal with the U.S. federal government to end multiple federal investigations into alleged violations of anti-discrimination law and unfreeze billions in federal research funding that had been paused by the administration. Under the terms of that agreement, Columbia agreed to pay $200 million to the U.S. government and an additional $21 million to resolve investigations opened by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over antisemitism allegations from Jewish employees. Notably, the university did not admit to any wrongdoing nor accept the federal government’s finding that it had violated Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act.
Columbia had also previously resolved a separate 2026 lawsuit brought by Jewish plaintiffs, who alleged the university failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from antisemitic harassment on campus. Despite these settlements, Palestinian activists and free speech advocates have consistently argued that Columbia imposes disproportionately harsh punishment on students and faculty who voice opposition to Israeli policy. Reuters reporting has confirmed that over the course of the university’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian organizing, dozens of students have faced arrests, suspensions, expulsions, and even revocation of their earned degrees.
The new lawsuit pursued by the Palestinian plaintiffs seeks monetary damages under the New York City Human Rights Law, a local statute that explicitly prohibits discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics including race and national origin. As of press time, Columbia University has declined to issue any comment on the ongoing litigation, per local New York media, and did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Reuters.
Palestinian students and staff sue Columbia University over discrimination
