(The Center Square) – As University of Washington students walk through the campus’s main thoroughfare to go to class, a sliver of grassy land has been taken up by a few pro-Palestinian protesters demanding an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.
This small group of UW students are joining other demonstrators on college campuses across the country in a wave of protests against Israel. Demonstrators are demanding their universities divest from the Jewish state. Approximately 1,000 students have been arrested nationwide since a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University in New York sparked similar uprisings on campuses throughout the U.S.
There were roughly seven tents set up at the makeshift encampment with roughly 40 demonstrators leading chants such as “Not a nickel, not a dollar, we won’t pay for Israel’s slaughter!”
The protests have remained peaceful, with no arrests made as of Wednesday morning.
The encampment was set up by the University of Washington Progressive Student Union, which is demanding the school cut ties with Israel and aerospace giant Boeing, which has partnered with the country for more than 75 years.
The school has been a research partner with Boeing since 2015. Through the Boeing Advanced Research Collaboration, Boeing engineers along with University of Washington College of Engineering faculty and students work on joint projects that address the challenges of aircraft manufacturing.
According to Boeing’s website, the company provides Israel with $3.5 billion in benefits to its economy, as well as aircraft to Israel’s air force.
Last month, Portland State University announced it was pausing grants from Boeing after demands from its students.
UW spokesperson Victor Balta told The Center Square in an email that as Wednesday, the school is continuing to keep an eye on the protest.
“We continue to monitor the situation and will respond as appropriate to maintain a safe and secure environment for our campus community,” Balta said.
