Anti-Israel students in US plan to bring in academic year with "strike for Palestine"

Pro-Palestinian college students may opt to skip classes at the beginning of the fall semester as part of a nationwide student strike organized by the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA). The strike aims to reignite the anti-Israel protest movement that gained momentum at universities across the U.S. last academic year.

According to a report by The Free Press, the YDSA—a youth and student arm of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America—issued a resolution last month urging its more than 100 university chapters to participate in a “Student Strike for Palestine” at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

The resolution encourages chapters to "organize democratically-run campaigns" advocating for their schools' divestment from Israel, a ceasefire in Gaza, and free speech on campus. The duration of the strike remains unclear. This planned action is part of a broader trend of left-wing activism on American college campuses protesting Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which intensified following the October 7 attack by Hamas.