Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges and universities are forming anti-Israel protest encampments with a unified demand that their schools stop doing business with Israel. The movement, inspired by ongoing protests and recent arrests at Columbia University in New York City, has gained momentum and spread to campuses from Massachusetts to California, and Tennessee to Texas.
Protest leader Mahmoud Khalil from Columbia University emphasized the importance of visibility, stating that universities should address the ongoing conflict in Gaza and cease investing in what protesters describe as a genocide. The demonstrations have taken place at various prestigious institutions including Columbia, Yale, MIT, UC Berkeley, and others.
The protests coincide with the six-month mark of the Israel-Hamas war, which has resulted in a significant number of civilian Palestinian casualties. The stories of suffering in Gaza have prompted international calls for a cease-fire and sparked protests globally.
