Pro-Palestinian protests planned in New York, other cities as college campuses simmer

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators plan to risk mass arrest on Tuesday by closing down the Brooklyn street where US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer resides, a coalition of Jewish groups opposing Israel's actions in Gaza said.

The protest is one of a dozen to be held in cities around the country, including Portland, Oregon, and Seattle.

There have been a spate of major demonstrations on college campuses from California to Massachusetts over the past week. On many of the campuses, protesters have set up encampments of tents to protest against Israel's deadly war in Gaza, which has killed 34,183 Palestinians.

In Brooklyn on Tuesday, protesters will hold a Passover Sedar, a ritual holiday meal and service, while urging Schumer to support an end to providing US weapons for Israel's war in Gaza, organizers said in a statement.

"Hundreds will risk arrest while demanding Senator Schumer, who has recently spoken sharply against Netanyahu, take the next step and stop arming Israel," the statement said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Since Friday, hundreds of students and others were arrested at Columbia, Yale and New York University, including the daughter of Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi.

The White House on Tuesday said it was monitoring the situation at college campuses closely, saying people have the right to publicly protest but not physical intimidation or calls for violence.

At Columbia in New York City, the university canceled in-person classes on Monday in a bid to defuse tensions on campus. On Tuesday, the school said classes for the rest of the year were hybrid - with students able to attend either online or in person.

New York City police arrested more than 120 protesters on New York University's campus late on Monday, a police spokesperson said. Police said university authorities reached out for help, and protesters failed to clear by the deadline given by the university.

Israel's deadly military onslaught in Gaza has been ongoing for over six months, killing over 34,000 people. Israel has been accused of carrying war crimes and genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, amid indiscriminate bombardment, and a siege barring the entry of food, water and fuel to the enclave's residents.