The uprising of global universities is a triumph for the Palestinian people’s rights

The International Academic Campaign against the Israeli Occupation and Apartheid issued a report on launching the "students uprising" in the global, American and European universities, protesting against the Israeli occupation’ crimes and genocide implemented against the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip.

The motivations of the participants were diverse, for political or doctrine beliefs, defending the ethical values and human rights, erasing discrimination, defending the educational system and the freedom of expression.

The report indicated that the day marked April 17, 2024 made an international incident, as the students of Colombia University took the initiative to establish a solidarity camp inside the university campus in Manhattan.

However, the suppression and attacks conducted by the police led to the eruption of an uprising among students, regardless of race, nationality or religion.

Nevertheless, the administration of the university had stopped the activities of both groups “Students for justice to Palestine “, and “The Jewish voice for peace”.

2600 arrest cases have been recorded among students until May 10, 2024, where the uprising has spread to around 140 American universities and others in Europe, such as Ohio, Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Michigan, Boston, Brown University, the University of Southern California, and the University of Texas. It also reached San Carlos University in Guatemala, the University of Milan in Italy, and universities in Australia, including Melbourne and Canberra, as well as various universities in Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Korea, Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Germany, Turkey, India, and several Arab and Islamic countries.

Students called for an academic boycott of institutions that support Israel, and for their universities to cut off any investments or partnerships with Israeli universities.

The report confirmed the joining of professors and faculty staffs to the protests despite the threats they received from the donors in the Harvard University in Massachusetts, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia to sever ties with both universities under the pretext of the spread of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric.

On December 5, 2023, the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were interrogated by the Committee of Education in the House of Representatives, citing a rise in “anti-Semitism.”

Moreover, the report mentioned that the American Heritage Foundation initiated a project against the “anti-Semitism” to establish a new standard in the academic institutions and schools, including the restriction of funding, the imposition of legal sanctions, freezing of assets for institutions that support issues of liberation and reinforce Esther project, which demonstrates the supporting organizations for Palestine as sponsors of terrorism.

In September 2024, the wave of demonstrations returned at a slower pace, due to the intervention and influence of major donors, intensified crackdowns and disciplinary actions against students, and new legislation framing criticism as anti-Semitism.

The report also noted that around 750 Jewish university professors from various U.S. institutions sent a letter to the U.S. President on May 8, 2024, urging him not to support the "Anti-Semitism Awareness Act". They emphasized that "criticizing the State of Israel, its government, or Zionist ideology does not inherently constitute anti-Semitism."

The report highlighted that on April 30, the trustees of Brown University voted to withdraw investments from companies supporting Israel. At the University of California, Berkeley, students called for divestment from Israel, while the Yale Justice Coalition and student groups at Cornell University demanded the cessation of investments in weapons manufacturing companies. Ghent University in Belgium decided to halt collaborations with Israeli research centers.

Further, Trinity College in the UK made the decision to divest from military manufacturing companies, and the University of Helsinki announced the suspension of student exchange agreements with Israeli universities. Students at Johns Hopkins University reached an agreement to reassess major divestments from the occupation, while the Rachel Corrie Center at the University of Washington decided to end its investments with Israel.

In addition, Rutgers University students in New Jersey agreed on the establishment of an Arab cultural center, while the University of Exeter and Goldsmiths University in the UK ceased dealings with companies collaborating with Israel and reconsidered adopting the definition of anti-Semitism. The president of the University of California, Sonoma, announced an agreement on the academic boycott of Israeli institutions and the withdrawal of investments.

In late November 2024, the Oxford Union adopted a resolution recognizing Israel as an apartheid state responsible for genocide.

The report concluded the general outcomes achieved by the uprising of global universities as the following:

1- The spread of the uprising to more than 140 universities within 45 states in the U.S and many other European universities and worldwide

2- Intensified awareness about the Palestinian cause and the suffering of the Palestinian people

3- Manifestation of the American bias to the Israeli occupation

4- Raising question marks about the freedom of expression inside the university campus

5- Establishment of a mobilization in the public opinion and political stances and the enhancement of boycotting the Israeli occupation

The report outlined a set of recommendations aimed at achieving the best outcomes from the interactions of the "University Uprising," including:

First: Enhancing international awareness of the Palestinian cause by organizing symposiums, films, increasing the visibility of the cause on social media, preparing media reports, creating innovative digital content, and involving intellectual, political, parliamentary, union, and academic figures worldwide to discuss the national cause.

Second: Establishing a robust network of international alliances to coordinate and amplify student efforts, enhance activism, escalate media campaigns, and actively collaborate with human rights organizations on a global scale.

Third: Engaging directly with educational and political institutions, demanding that they adopt comprehensive academic and economic boycotts, sever ties with companies and organizations complicit in supporting the occupation, and push for the inclusion of the Palestinian cause in academic curricula related to international politics, human rights, and policies of apartheid and racial discrimination.

Fourth: Expanding the influence of Palestinian and Arab communities by organizing strategic, collaborative events between students and these communities, tapping into the full potential of youth energy to fuel these initiatives.

Fifth: Shaping public opinion and influencing policymakers by partnering with decision-makers, shedding light on critical humanitarian issues such as forced displacement, settlement expansion, and the systematic targeting of civilians, vital institutions, and civilian infrastructure.