Pro-Israeli billionaires fuel NYC Mayor crackdown on Columbia students
8 Min Read
A WhatsApp group initiated by affluent Americans post-October 7 showcases their attention on Mayor Eric Adams and their efforts to influence the perception of the Israeli war on Gaza in the United States.
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New York City police officers in riot gear stand guard as Pro-Palestinian students chant slogans outside the Columbia University campus in New York. (AP)
A coalition of billionaires and influential business figures, aiming to influence American public opinion regarding the Israeli war on Gaza, urged New York City's Mayor in private last month to deploy police to quell pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, The Washington Post reported, citing communications obtained and individuals familiar with the group.
Business leaders, including Daniel Lubetzky, founder of Kind Snack company, hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb, billionaire Len Blavatnik, and real estate investor Joseph Sitt, convened for a Zoom video conference with Mayor Eric Adams on April 26. This meeting took place about a week following the Mayor's initial dispatch of New York police to Columbia's campus, as indicated in a log of chat messages.
During the call, some participants discussed the possibility of making political contributions to Adams, as well as strategies for exerting pressure on Columbia's President and trustees to authorize the Mayor's deployment of police to address protesters on campus, according to summaries of the chat messages as reported by The Post.
A member of the WhatsApp chat group said, as quoted by The Post, that he "contributed" $2,100, the maximum allowable amount, to Adams during that month.
Additionally, some members expressed willingness to fund private investigators to aid the New York police in managing the protests, as indicated in the chat log. A member reported in the chat that Adams accepted this offer. However, a spokesperson for City Hall claimed that the New York Police Department has not utilized private investigators for managing protests.
Business leaders, Mayor Adams navigate crackdown on US students
The messages detailing the conversation with Adams were part of a vast collection of WhatsApp exchanges involving several prominent business leaders and financiers across the US. This group includes individuals such as former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, and Joshua Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital and brother of Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump.
Individuals with direct access to the chat log provided its contents to The Post under the condition of anonymity, as the chat was intended to remain private. Members of the group confirmed the existence of the chat and their contributions.
The chat was initiated by an associate of billionaire and real estate magnate Barry Sternlicht, who opted not to directly participate but communicated through the associate, as indicated in the chat messages and confirmed by a person familiar with Sternlicht, as per the report.
In an October 12 message, one of the initial messages in the group, the associate, posting on behalf of Sternlicht, informed others that the group's objective was to "change the narrative" in support of "Israel".
Stretching beyond New York
Formed shortly after October 7, the chat group's influence has extended far beyond New York, reaching the highest echelons of the Israeli government, the American business sphere, and prestigious universities, The Washington Post reported.
Initially titled "Israel Current Events," the group eventually grew to include around 100 members, as evidenced by the chat log. Among these members are over a dozen individuals listed on Forbes' annual billionaire roster, while others hold positions in real estate, finance, and communications.
In essence, the messages provide insight into how influential figures have utilized their wealth and influence to shape American perspectives on the Israeli aggression on Gaza, in addition to influencing the decisions of academic, business, and political leaders—including those of New York's Mayor.
Six notable members of the group openly acknowledged their involvement in the chat, providing their statements on the record. Additionally, several individuals familiar with the group verified the identities of other members.
In response to inquiries regarding the Zoom meeting involving members of the chat group, the mayor's office did not directly address the matter. Instead, they provided a statement from Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy, which highlighted that the New York police intervened on Columbia's campus on two occasions in response to certain incidents, The Post further reported.
He stressed, “The insinuation that Jewish donors secretly plotted to influence government operations is an all too familiar antisemitic trope that the Washington Post should be ashamed to ask about, let alone normalize in print.”
Four days after the video call with Adams, student protesters took over a campus building, prompting Columbia's President to request police assistance in clearing the building. During the operation, officers violently removed and arrested numerous protesters, employing forceful tactics such as pushing, striking, and dragging students. According to reports from The Post, one officer discharged his firearm during the incident.
Before the spring protests at Columbia University, certain members of the chat group participated in private briefings with former Israeli occupation's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet, and Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, as indicated in the chat records.
Group members collaborated with the Israeli government to screen a documentary film, approximately 40 minutes long, showcasing footage compiled by the Israeli occupation forces. It is worth noting that the film was presented to audiences in New York City.
Chat group's mission: 'Win the war' of US public opinion
On October 12, an associate of Sternlicht conveyed a message from him, as reported by The Post, elucidating the group's objective: While "Israel" focused on "winning the physical war," the members of the chat group would contribute to "help win the war" of US public opinion by financing an informational campaign against the Palestinian Resistance.
The Semafor news site disclosed in November that Sternlicht was initiating a $50 million media campaign against Palestinian Resistance, collaborating with a range of Wall Street and Hollywood billionaires. Some participants in this endeavor were identified as members of the WhatsApp chat, according to The Post's investigation. The contents of the chat messages, previously unreported, seem to unveil the commencement of the campaign, along with additional pro-"Israel" initiatives pursued by chat members later on. The extent of overlap between the chat group and the media campaign remains uncertain.
Certain aspects of the media campaign were publicly visible, such as its website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X accounts, collectively amassing over 170,000 followers.
In the following months, members of the group used the chat to share news articles or social media posts related to "Israel", developments in Gaza, or, later on, protests on college campuses.
Weaponization of anti-Semitism
According to chat records, a Zoom video call with members of the chat group and Adams occurred shortly after 11 am on April 26. The exact number of attendees is unclear, but the meeting lasted for approximately 45 minutes, as indicated in the chat logs. Notable attendees included Blavatnik, Sitt, Loeb, and Lubetzky, The Post mentioned.
After the call, Sitt promptly summarized the topics discussed, which included donating to Adams, utilizing group members' influence to persuade Columbia's President to allow New York police back on campus, and funding investigative efforts to aid the city.
Lubetzky responded by outlining specific actions for group members to take, such as sharing a link to offer financial support to Adams, contacting Columbia's President and board of trustees, and mobilizing Black leaders to denounce "anti-Semitism". He also mentioned reaching out to individuals like Jay-Z, LeBron James, and Alicia Keys for support.
It is worth noting that Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at US universities faced predictable accusations of "antisemitism" amid their protests.
In a related development, the Director of Al Mayadeen's office in Washington has lately affirmed that an intensive media campaign is ongoing, aiming to associate the university solidarity movement with Palestine in the United States with "antisemitism".
In summary, US universities, instead of upholding their students' rights to peaceful protest and fostering an environment conducive to First Amendment-protected discourse, succumbed to pressure from affluent donors and congressional members. They opted for cracking down on student demonstrators.
Read more: AIPAC on a quest to oust progressives due to Gaza stance: WaPo
