Pro-Israel professor Shai Davidai leaves Columbia after harassment probe

A Columbia University spokesperson confirmed that controversial professor Shai Davidai has left the institution by "mutual agreement" and will no longer be teaching at the prestigious Ivy League school.

Davidai left the university on 8 July after he was restricted from the campus since October amid allegations of harassing and intimidating employees and pro-Palestine individuals.

In a post on X, he wrote he left the university because he did not trust the "anti-Jewish, anti-Israel, and anti-American hate festering on [Columbia's] campus".

He also shared a letter he said was from the university, stating that an investigation against him had been closed without finding that he was engaged in any wrongdoing, and that no disciplinary action would be taken against him.

However, some commentators have questioned the authenticity of the letter, stating that the letterhead showed inaccuracies with spelling mistakes.

An official at the university told reporters that any Office of Institutional Equality investigations typically terminate as soon as an individual is "no longer employed at the University", therefore, the investigation into his actions closed "without issuing any findings or conclusions of wrongdoing".

The investigation into his actions was opened last year over his allegations of harassment and discrimination on campus.

According to media reports, Davidai said there were aspects regarding him leaving the university he could not discuss for legal reasons, but he told the university that "there is no way that I’ll ever leave before they find me innocent".

Davidai was gained media attention in October 2023, when he said students demanding a ceasefire in Gaza were "pro-terror".

He stirred controversy for telling parents their children were unsafe on campus, saying: "I want you to know, we cannot protect your children from pro-terror student organizations, because the president of Columbia University will not speak out."

In April 2024, he called pro-Palestine students "Hitler Youth" on X, which was later removed, and repeatedly demanded that the US National Guard disperse protest encampments at the university.

At the time, over 13,000 students signed a petition demanding that he be fired for using his "personal social media accounts to target, harass, and bully students, including Palestinian students who have lost family members in Gaza". 

After Davidai was restricted from accessing the university, he denounced the decision in a series of posts on Instagram, writing the move was made “because of October 7th [2023]. Because I was not afraid to stand up to the hateful mob. And because I was not afraid to expose Mr fucking Cas Holloway,” referring to the chief operating officer at Columbia.

Both students and staff said he was endangering them, particularly after he called on the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to deport Mahmoud Khalil from the US.

Days after his post on X, Khalil was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.