The University of Toronto is witnessing significant protests among students to sever ties with Israeli universities, but negotiations between the University of Toronto and the protesters behind a pro-Palestinian camp appear to have stalled yesterday, Monday, after the university announced that its latest offer had been rejected and the demonstrators accused the officials of not taking the talks seriously.

In a message posted online, the university stated that the proposal sent last Thursday offered expedited processes to consider the protesters' demands regarding divesting from companies benefiting from the Israeli attack on Gaza and increasing transparency in investments.

Officials also confirmed that the university has no direct investments in such companies, including those that produce weapons, according to University of Toronto President Meric Gertler.

The University of Toronto stated that it would not sever ties with Israeli universities as demanded by the protesters.

It continued, “The proposal we presented is as comprehensive or more so than agreements that resolved protests at peer institutions, and unfortunately, the camp participants rejected this proposal.”

Gertler mentioned that the university met with the protesters approximately twice a week over the past month and is open to meeting with camp representatives again “when there are productive reasons to do so.”

He added that U of T will also continue to pursue a court order allowing police to clear the camp.

Protest organizers pointed out that despite regular meetings between the two sides, Gertler himself did not participate and did not meet any of the participating students.

Instead, the university president “sends agents who do not have the authority to make decisions on his behalf," as Erin Mackie said at a press conference on Monday.

Mackie asked, “How can there be any dialogue when there is no actual dialogue?” and suggested that negotiations cannot be conducted in good faith considering the university's request for a court order, “These negotiations are significantly unbalanced.”

The protesters objected to Gertler's comments regarding what he called “escalation in online rhetoric and imagery, vandalism, and other destructive behaviors” related to the camp.

In that context, group spokesperson Sarah Raseekh said that the university's portrayal of the camp as hateful and offensive is incorrect.

Raseekh added, “Portraying our camp as a source of hate or disturbance not only makes us less safe but also attracts provocateurs – the same provocateurs that the University of Texas claims to oppose.”

Students set up the camp on May 2 to urge the university to sever its ties with Israel due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

The demonstrators stated that they are joining students from other universities in Canada and the United States in setting up camps to urge their schools to disclose relations with the Israeli government, divest from Israeli companies, and end partnerships with Israeli academic institutions that operate under standards they oppose.