Robert Kraft yanks support for Columbia as Israel-Gaza protests intensify

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• New England Patriots owner and Columbia donor Robert Kraft is pulling his support for the university.
• Columbia is being divided by protests over Israel's war in Gaza.
• Kraft stated he is "no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff."

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Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and a Columbia University alumnus, has pulled his support for the university, which has been racked by unrest and protests over Israel's war in Gaza.

In a statement through his organization Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, Kraft said that Columbia is "no longer an institution I recognize," adding that he is "no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff."

"I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken," said Kraft, for whom Columbia's Kraft Center For Jewish Life is named.

In an interview with CNN, Kraft said he will continue to support the Kraft Center — which houses a variety of cultural and religious events, and which he said has been "a haven of safety."

Students and faculty have been arrested at the school after occupying the campus to protest the Israel-Gaza conflict. Demonstrators have called on the school to divest its investments from Israeli businesses and institutions affiliated with the war, which has killed thousands of civilians.

Jewish leaders on campus, meanwhile, have alleged that protesters have shouted offensive rhetoric at Jewish students, with one rabbi recommending students stay off campus.

Columbia University's president Nemat "Minouche" Shafik announced all classes on Monday would be virtual.

The university also said Monday that all courses on its main campus would be hybrid through the end of the Spring semester, with some exceptions.

Columbia is not the only university currently embroiled in protests. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested at NYU and Yale on Monday, Reuters reported.