Trump did not specify what would constitute an “illegal” protest. Broadly speaking, the right to protest is protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, also known as Fire, swiftly condemned Trump’s announcement.  “Colleges can and should respond to unlawful conduct, but the president does not have unilateral authority to revoke federal funds, even for colleges that allow ‘illegal’ protests,” the statement said.

The group added that the move will “cast an impermissible chill on student protests about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.

In a separate announcement, the US Department of Education, General Services Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services said they would conduct a “comprehensive review” of Columbia’s federal contracts amid an ongoing investigation into compliance with Title VI, a federal law that bans discrimination based on ethnicity or ancestry.

In a statement, the education department said that it is considering stop work orders for $51.4m (£40.19m) in contracts with the New York City-based university, and will review more than $5bn in grant commitments to the school.

“Americans have watched in horror for more than a year now, as Jewish students have been assaulted and harassed on elite university campuses – repeatedly overrun by antisemitic students and agitators,” Trump’s new Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, said in a statement.

McMahon added that “unlawful encampments and demonstrations have completely paralysed day-to-day campus operations, depriving Jewish students of learning opportunities to which they are entitled”.

In January, Trump signed an executive order that called for the removal of foreign students who participated in protests.

The order also directed government departments to make recommendations that could allow educational institutions to “monitor for and report activities by alien students and staff” and, if warranted, remove them.

A White House fact sheet on the order specified that it seeks to “protect law and order, quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities”.

In April 2024, student protests against the war in Gaza drew national attention after students at Columbia were arrested at a student encampment set up on campus. Thousands of arrests were ultimately made at dozens of universities across the country.

At Columbia, the university authorised New York Police Department officers to swarm the campus, a controversial decision that led to the arrests of about 100 students who were occupying a university building.

Four months after protests rocked the campus, Columbia president Minouche Shafik resigned.

Earlier this week, a federal task force announced it would visit 10 prominent US universities that have been the scene of anti-semitic incidents.

[BBC]

What sets this new plan apart is it is not just about property development; its banners are politics and the rights of Palestinians.

In his opening remarks, Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi also called for a parallel plan alongside the physical reconstruction to move towards what is known as the two state solution – a Palestinian state alongside Israel. This is widely seen by Arab states, and many others, as the only lasting solution to this perpetual conflict, but it is firmly ruled out by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies.

This new plan proposes that Gaza would be run, temporarily, by a “Gaza management committee under the umbrella of the Palestinian government” comprised of qualified technocrats.

It glosses over the issue of what role, if any, Hamas, will play. There is a vague reference to the “obstacle” of militant groups and said this issue would be resolved if the causes of the conflict with Israel were removed.

Some Arab states are known to be calling for the complete dismantling of Hamas; others believe those decisions should be left up to the Palestinians. Hamas is said to have accepted it will not play a role in running Gaza but has made it clear that disarming is a red line.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described President Trump’s plan as “visionary”, has repeatedly ruled out any future role for Hamas, but also for the Palestinian Authority.

The other sensitive issue of security was dealt with by calling on the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeepers.

And a major international conference will be held next month to raise the huge sums of money necessary for this rebuilding project.

Wealthy Gulf states appear willing to foot some of the colossal bill. But no one is ready to invest unless they are absolutely convinced buildings won’t come crashing down in another war.

A fragile ceasefire which now seems to be on the brink of collapse will only amplify that hesitation.

This new Arab plan to rebuild Gaza would unfold in three phases including an initial period of about six months, called the early recovery stage, to start clearing the massive amounts of rubble as well as unexploded ordinance. Two subsequent stages would last several years.

During this time displaced Palestinians, said to number 1.5 million, would be housed in temporary containers. Photographs in the glossy brochure present them as well-built and designed housing units set in pretty landscaped areas.

President Trump continues to wonder aloud “Why wouldn’t they want to move?” His description of Gaza as a “demolition site” underlines how the territory lies in utter ruin. The UN says 90% of homes are damaged or destroyed.

All the basics of a life worth living, from schools and hospitals to sewage systems and electricity lines, are shredded.

The US Geological Survey (USGS), which tracks such events, said the earthquake was felt miles across Los Angeles.

There was no tsunami alert issued as a result of the relatively minor earthquake.

[BBC]