Three weeks of pro-Palestinian student protests at US universities could change the country’s relationship with Israel, according to political experts and analysts.
What did Elmasry said?
Media studies professor of Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Mohamad Hamas Elmasry said, if this movement continues to the end, there may be a change in the relationship between the two countries.
On Wednesday, the police entered various university campuses and removed the students’ tents and put a damper on the movement.
Mohamad Elmasry said, the pro-Palestinian protests at US universities signal a major generational shift. Not long ago, American students were very sympathetic to Israel. Israeli brutality has been going on in Gaza for a long time. But American students have never been seen protesting like that before. As the ongoing Israeli brutality breaks all-time records, the patience of American students seems to have broken./
Students’ reaction to the claim
The students say this is not the end, they will not return until the genocide in Gaza and US aid to Israel is stopped. Meanwhile, while the US university situation has calmed down, campuses across Australia have erupted in pro-Palestinian protests. But on Friday, police moved in and removed the protesting students at Sciences Po University in Paris, France. Many students were also on hunger strike. Police removed their tents and took control of the halls.
Previous protests by students
Before that, there were major protests against the recent Vietnam War at US universities, which shook the US administration. This time too, such a protest has spread across the United States. A generational shift is being seen in the United States through these protests. If these protests continue, a new picture of Israel’s relationship with the United States can be seen.
Elmasry told Al Jazeera that this is the first time the Palestinian issue has become a domestic issue in the United States. It has become more or less mainstream. And in the universities of the United States, students from different parts of the country are studying. Not only American students, but even many Jewish students from different continents have joined the protest. So this protest indicates something new. Young people can write the new landscape of US-Israel relations.
How is the situation now at universities?
The situation in the universities is now virtually calm after protesters’ tents were removed from various campuses on Wednesday night. On that day, the students had a massive clash with the police. Over three hundred students were arrested in one night. Since April 18, the police have arrested about 2,200 pro-Palestinian students in raids on universities in different states of the United States. Even though the movement has ended, the students say that this is not the end. They will return to the campus anytime. They expressed their conviction that they will not stop until their demands are met.
Protests in universities across Australia
After the United States, pro-Palestinian protests have started in Australia by pitching tents in universities. Hundreds of protesters protested on Friday at one of the country’s top university campuses. The protests against the war in Gaza called for the severing of ties with Israel.
They are doing this protest after being inspired by the protest of the students in the United States.
Students have been protesting for two weeks at universities in major Australian cities.
At the University of Sydney, one of Australia’s largest academic institutions, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the main hall and set up tents last week.
Apart from this, protesters have set up similar camps in Melbourne, Canberra and other Australian cities. However, like the United States, the police in Australia have not yet gone on the offensive against the protesters. More than 300 protesters took part in the protest at the University of Sydney on Friday.
Meanwhile, 39-year-old Matt took part in the protest with his two-year-old son on his shoulders. He said that not only the student community is opposing Israel’s activities in Gaza, once you realize what’s going on there, it’s your responsibility to get involved, raise awareness, and try to show solidarity.
It should be noted that Australia, a long-time close ally of Israel, has recently become a critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza. An Australian aid worker was also killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza last month. But pro-Palestinian protesters say the government has not taken enough steps to bring about peace, and voices have risen against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government.
