UK premier calls on university leaders to protect all students amid pro-Palestine protests

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called on university leaders Thursday to ensure the safety of all students amid pro-Palestinian demonstrations across campuses nationwide.

Sunak highlighted the importance of universities as bastions of tolerance where respectful debate flourishes and every student feels secure as he met with the heads of universities at his Downing Street office.

"Universities should be places of rigorous debate but also bastions of tolerance and respect for every member of their community," he said.

"A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright harassment and antisemitic abuse. That has to stop.”

The meeting aimed to address the response of higher education institutions to the surge in pro-Palestinian protests, with encampments sprouting up at more than a dozen campuses in solidarity with Gaza.

In the autumn statement in November, the Chancellor announced that £7 million ($8.7 million) in additional funding would be earmarked to combat antisemitism in schools and universities.

Of this, £500,000 will specifically be dedicated to bolstering the work of the University Jewish Chaplaincy, which helps students deal with incidents of antisemitism on university campuses.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army on Tuesday seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, a vital route for humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.

On Monday, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah in a move widely seen as a prelude to Israel's long-feared attack on the city, which is home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.

Israel has killed more than 34,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 78,500 others following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year which claimed 1,200 lives.

Over seven 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 said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in the enclave.