As the fall semester begins across US campuses and Israel’s war on Gaza continues, universities have been proactive in their attempt to slow the momentum built by pro-Palestine student movements in the last academic year, doubling down on censoring criticism of Israel.

Simultaneously, Meta has increased pressure on accounts that feature pro-Palestine and anti-Israel content. In the past week, New York University and Columbia University students in New York City have faced pushback on both these fronts.

This week, on 25 August, Columbia SJP was permanently banned from Instagram with no reason provided and no opportunity to appeal. And only a couple of days later, NYU PSC’s account was suspended from Instagram as well.

These actions come in the wake of a new campaign, a collaboration between the Secure Community Network (SCN), a non-profit that aims to be " the official homeland security and safety initiative of the organized Jewish community in North America", and Hillel International – which focuses on fostering a relationship between Jewish Americans and the state of Israel.