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The attack by the Palestinian terror organisation Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023 with more than 1,200 deaths and the subsequent Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip with more than 35,000 deaths (as of May 2024) are also causing turmoil in the academic world. It began with student protests, particularly in the USA and France, but is now affecting universities worldwide. Students in many countries are protesting against what they see as Israel's disproportionate military response, which has cost the lives of many civilians and caused massive damage to homes, commercial facilities and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

For some time now, students have not only been protesting, but also occupying university campuses. They demand the suspension of all co-operation with Israeli universities and research institutions. The occupied universities have to weigh up demands for freedom of expression, but also the defence against anti-Semitic tendencies and the safety of their students.

In this webdossier, we offer you an international press review of pro-Palestinian university protests. The articles analyse the situation in countries such as the USA, France, Great Britain and Spain, but also in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia (Turkey, Japan, India, etc.). Furthermore, you will find reactions from Israel and the Palestinian territories, among others.

This webdossier also provides a list of reactions and statements from academic societies, networks, education unions and student organisations on the pro-Palestinian campus occupations, Israel's war against Hamas and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

‘President Scholz, you can't hide!’ A poster addressed to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the University of Oregon (USA)? No! Here, university president Karl Scholz is addressed - during pro-Palestinian protests in April 2024. But the German government is also criticised by many for its solidarity with Israel.

Posters of pro-Palestinian demonstrators hang outside King's College Circle at the University of Toronto. Especially in the USA, there is a large number of Jews who are very critical of the state of Israel. Some of them have joined the student protests against the Israeli-Palestinian war in Gaza.