By Bekir Aydogan
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Jewish Council of Australia has strongly rejected the claims that university encampments in support of Palestinians against Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip are a threat to Jewish students and staff.
In a statement released Sunday, the group recalled that students in Australia established encampments at their universities in solidarity with Palestinians last week.
Stating that the students joined the dozens of solidarity camps established across the US and elsewhere in recent weeks, the statement said: "Like their peers, Australian students are calling on their institutions to end relationships with weapons companies that are enabling Israeli war crimes, and urging our government to sanction Israel and cut military ties."
"The Jewish Council of Australia strongly rejects the claims that these protests are a threat to Jewish students and staff," it added.
The statement also said: "Attempting to silence or censor these protests by deceitfully accusing them of antisemitism is a dangerous overreach that, if acted upon, risks stifling free speech on campuses."
Elizabeth Strakosch, the executive director of the Jewish Council of Australia, said the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental democratic freedom.
"We should be proud of all of the students, many of whom are Jewish, who are speaking out against this unfolding genocide," said Strakosch. "The student protests against the unfolding genocide in Gaza are legitimate expressions of political speech and human rights advocacy."
Students at the Columbia University have inspired students around the world to stage a sit-in on the campus lawn to protest financial investments in companies that support war in Gaza.
In many countries, including the US, Australia, France and Egypt, thousands of students have organized demonstrations at their universities in solidarity with Palestine.
Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.
More than 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 77,575 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.
More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel from Istanbul