By Farah Hajj Hassan 09-09-2024

The success of pro-Palestine encampments like divestment by several universities indicates the movement’s impact is tangible. As protests continue, they challenge existing power dynamics and potentially influence future U.S. policy and international support for Palestinian rights.

Another school year has dawned, and the pro-Palestine encampments have sprung anew like seedlings of resilience and hope that break through the toughest soil.

When the encampments began last spring, the war on Gaza had been raging for a painful 6 months, long enough for activists to be fed up with US complicity and the ties between universities and the occupation’s government.

Today, that duration has nearly doubled, and next month, the crippling war will have burned in the minds and hearts of those unfortunate enough to have witnessed it forever.

Despite the passage of time and the feeling that little has changed, students have regrouped and reconnected, while university administration officials have begun to take precautions to keep the new protests limited and enforce a preemptive crackdown.

Days ago, the president of the University of California announced new bans on encampments and face masks in response.

Ahead of the new semester, Michael V. Drake clarified the policies regarding prohibitions on encampments, unauthorized structures, and the use of masks to conceal identities or avoid identification by university officials. He also instructed university leaders to enforce these rules strictly and consistently.

Looking back: a timeline

Last April, what started as one pro-Palestine encampment in New York’s Columbia University swiftly turned into a global phenomenon.

Universities across the US saw a historic surge in student protests in support of Palestine and Gaza, calling for ending all agreements with “Israel” and divesting from the occupation entity, and most importantly, an end to the US support to “Israel.”

Nemat Minouche Shafik, Columbia’s President, had issued an ultimatum to student protesters: either negotiate an agreement with the administration to disband the encampment or the school would pursue alternative measures to dismantle it. However, the demonstrators remained steadfast in their demands, with new supporters swelling their ranks.

She faced increased pressure over her response to the protests and ultimately resigned in what she attributed as  “a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community.”

The movement continued to spread like wildfire, igniting in Europe, the Middle East,  Asia,  and even as far as Antarctica.

Police presence turned violent and, in many cities, and campuses students were arrested, beaten, attacked, and threatened with expulsion.

The US government’s fury over the practice of free speech in criticizing Israeli actions went so far that senators began to suggest legislation that slammed any critics of antisemitism.

The bill, dubbed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, would adopt the definition of antisemitism created by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). If enforced, the definition would mark a grave turn of events for American citizens and residents opposing the Israeli occupation. The IHRA has spread dangerous rhetoric in which any action against the “state of Israel” would be considered anti-semitism.

Former US president Harry Truman once expressed that a government committed to silencing opposition will continue down the path of repression until it becomes a “terror” to all citizens and fear prevails.

Source: Al Mayadeen English