Protests over the Israel-Hamas war have spread across U.S. university and college campuses in recent weeks, leading to disruptions and arrests. Some demonstrations extended into weekend graduation celebrations, although they were muted in comparison to the encampments and rallies that have roiled campuses. Most of the commencement exercises took place Saturday and Sunday as scheduled and remained largely peaceful. Dozens of the 7,000 graduates at Duke University in North Carolina left their seats to protest pro-Israel speaker and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. In Los Angeles, a few dozen pro-Palestinian protesters tried to block access to the Pomona College commencement. Student protesters at Boston's Emerson College occasionally erupted into chants during the graduation ceremony.
By JOSEPH KRAUSS and JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a U.S. threat to withhold some arms would not prevent Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza, indicating it might proceed with an invasion of the packed city of Rafah against the wishes of its closest ally. President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to go ahead with such an operation over fears it would exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave. On Wednesday, he said the United States would not provide offensive weapons for a Rafah offensive, raising pressure on Netanyahu. But in a statement released Thursday, Netanyahu said "if we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails."
By SAM MEDNICK, JOSEF FEDERMAN and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press
The Hamas militant group says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal to halt the seven-month war with Israel. Israeli leaders later approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces were striking targets in the area, officials said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that the proposal was "far from Israel's essential demands," but that it would nonetheless send negotiators to continue talks on a cease-fire agreement. It remained uncertain whether a deal would be sealed to bring a halt to the war and avert an all-out Israeli attack on Rafah, where Israel ordered some 100,000 Palestinians to begin evacuating.
By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she'll call a vote next week on ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Georgia Republican is forcing her colleagues to choose sides after Democratic leaders announced they'd provide the votes to save the Republican speaker's job. Speaking outside the Capitol on Wednesday, Greene railed against Republican Party leaders and pushed back against public entreaties from Donald Trump and others to avoid another messy political fight so close to the November election. With Greene was Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the few lawmakers to join her effort. They said Johnson isn't up to the job. Johnson responded that the attempt to oust him is "wrong for the country."
Five military horses spooked by noise from a building site have bolted during routine exercises near Buckingham Palace in central London and ran loose through the heart of the city. They injured at least four people, collided with vehicles and caused chaos during the morning rush hour. Four soldiers were thrown off the horses and three of the troops were hospitalized with injuries. The horses were all captured shortly after and were taken back to the barracks in Hyde Park where they are undergoing medical tests. The horses are from the Household Cavalry, the ceremonial guard of the monarch and a feature of state functions in London.
Columbia University has canceled in-person classes and police have arrested dozens of students at Yale University as tensions over the war in the Middle East continue to grow on U.S. college campuses. The moves at the Ivy League schools came hours hours before Monday evening's start of the Jewish holiday of Passover. A New Haven, Connecticut, police spokesperson said about 45 protesters were arrested at Yale on Monday morning and charged with misdemeanor trespassing. All were being released on promises to appear in court later. Following arrests last week at Columbia, pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up encampments on other campuses around the country, including at the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina.
