“I think these kids at the colleges have s**t for brains. We have one reliable ally in the Middle East — that’s Israel. We only have one democracy in the Middle East — that’s Israel, okay? And we have one economy tolerant of different people — gays, lesbians, etc. And that’s Israel. So I have no idea what these young kids are doing,” he told Fox Business during a recent interview.

The CEO of Omega Advisors – who is incidentally of Polish-Jewish descent – said that he had given Columbia an estimated $50 million over the years but would now start patronising other organisations and institutions.

The University has repeatedly made headlines since Israel declared war on Hamas earlier this month – from attacks against students to professors cheering for Hamas. An Israeli student was attacked outside the Columbia’s main library following an argument soon after the war began. The University has also refused to comment on a tenured professor who called the Hamas attack on October 7 ‘awesome’ – even as a petition seeking his ouster garnered tens of thousands of signatures.

“I mean, war is hell. War is not good for anybody, but to praise what Hamas did is disgraceful, disgusting,” the billionaire was quoted as saying. 

Israel has launched a series of devastating airstrikes over Palestine and is currently preparing for a ground offensive of Gaza. The war broke out following a deadly Hamas attack that killed hundreds of Israelis – mostly civilians. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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Updated: 26 Oct 2023, 08:06 PM IST