(NewsInsights.org) – The US saw several pro-Palestinian protests bloom across the campuses this spring like an intractable case of poison ivy. Yet one elite university reached an agreement through negotiations that mostly quelled active protests on its campus after just five days, avoiding the disruptions, violence, arrests, and mayhem that other institutions experienced. Whistleblowers also point out that the university accepted nearly $700 million from a Muslim nation that funneled aid to Hamas since 2018.
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, chose to negotiate with its students rather than escalate hostilities. Opponents of the deal criticized the university for “succumb[ing] to the demands of a mob.” Yet one watchdog organization, Open the Books (OTB), suggested another motivation: money.
Moreover, OTB found Department of Education records that confirmed that Northwestern University had received nearly $700 million from the Arab nation of Qatar between 2007 and 2023. According to reports, Qatar opened its doors to Hamas leadership as early as 2012 and for years contributed as much as $30 million per month to Hamas’s administration, albeit with US and Israeli approvals.
Some critics suggested that Northwestern reached a deal with pro-Palestinian protesters as much to appease Qatari donors as the protesters themselves. Yet, by prioritizing its foreign endowments, whistleblowers at OTB warned the institution could risk federal contracts and endowments worth far more.
Federal grants, subsidies, and contracts to Northwestern totaled over $700 million in 2023, up incrementally from 2022 and 2021. However, figures for 2024 show the total has dropped to less than $300 million thus far for 2024. Additionally, some GOP lawmakers are proposing legislation that would tax colleges with large endowments at rates up to 35%.
Qatar was the largest Arab state contributing to Northwestern, but Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates have also endowed the university with donations, contracts, and scholarships. During the same period, Israel also contributed more than $11 million to the institution.
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