Adi Karni, an ex-Israel Defense Forces soldier and Israeli influencer known for visiting college campuses to promote his country, demonstrated on UM’s campus on the afternoon of Thursday, April 23.
Karni — standing outside the Smoothie King by Lakeside Village — held a sign that read, “I’m an IDF soldier and have been in Gaza, ask me anything.”
Two UM students accompanied Karni, but declined to identify themselves. They said they were unaffiliated with any organization.
Karni’s goal is to bridge understanding between Israel and the world, and he makes it his mission to “help people around the globe understand Israel’s real purpose.”
“There’s a lot of fake news about my country, Israel, and about the IDF,” Karni said. “For me, it’s really important to explain to people what is really going on from a person who has been in these places.”
According to one of the students accompanying Karni, he and his companions stood by the Smoothie King for about two hours. Eventually, University of Miami Police Department officers approached and asked them to leave. The student said UMPD cited potential safety concerns as the reason for intervening.
“The University was made aware that an outside speaker would be present at a student tabling event. As the student group had not followed the required outside speaker protocols, they were presented with the opportunity to ask the outside speaker to not attend or cancel the event,” said the University in a statement to The Hurricane. “When the University learned that the student group then tried to continue with their event in a non-reservable space, the event was stopped in accordance with University policies.”
Most students who asked a question focused on topics like genocide and starvation in Gaza, according to Karni. When The Hurricane asked about the types of questions he answered, Karni spoke about being able to give UM students a different perspective.
“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding right now,” Karni said. “I’m answering from my point of view, that [a genocide is] not what’s happening over there.”
His statement contradicts a September report by a United Nations Independent International Commission stating that acts of genocide have been committed in the Gaza Strip, attributing responsibility to Israel.
One of the students accompanying Karni said that many students on UM’s campus responded positively.
“If someone had a question, they asked respectfully,” the student said. “They received his social media and some news sources, just so they can be properly sent in the right direction.”
Karni faced controversy in February when the Hind Rajab Foundation — a nonprofit focused on Israeli accountability in Gaza — filed a legal complaint in the United States accusing him of justifying and normalizing the destruction of Gaza through international advocacy.
Hillel, Students Supporting Israel and Canes for Palestine have not yet responded to a request for comment.