Academics, lawyers, and activists are backing Katherine Franke, a tenured law professor at Columbia University, after she said she was pressured to leave the university due to her advocacy for pro-Palestinian students. In a statement on Thursday, Franke announced that she had reached an agreement with the university, which she described as a “termination dressed up in more palatable terms” rather than a retirement. Franke explained that Columbia had created a toxic environment for debate on the Israel-Palestine conflict, making it impossible for her to continue teaching or researching. The controversy stems from protests on Columbia’s campus in April, where students called for the university to divest from Israel and demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, where over 46,000 Palestinians have died amid ongoing conflict.