‘We will not be silenced’: How pro-Palestine student activism is reshaping the 2024 US elections

As the 2024 US presidential election approaches, The Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) coalition at George Washington University (GWU) is back on the scene.

Despite the sanctions and persecution that have changed the lives of many of them, accepting the status quo does not seem to be a likely plan for the student movement — they are at the forefront of efforts calling for divestment from companies complicit in human rights abuses in Gaza.

This election might not be ordinary, and while the phrase "watershed election" is often overused, the scene seems more complex than ever.

US foreign policy, particularly the Biden administration's unwavering support for Israel’s war in Gaza, has become a key issue in this presidential race, making it much more than a typical election focused on domestic concerns. 

Last spring, when the protests gained momentum, polls showed unfavourable results for President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

This was due to the remarkable influence of the student movement on young voters, “Gen Z,” who are considered a critical demographic in this election.

At the time, mainstream American media reported about seniors in the Biden administration who said secretly that Biden's campaign was challenged because of the protest.

On May 3, President Biden decided to address the movement, describing it as violence and vandalism, which even made things worse for his campaign in the next weeks.

As a result of this failure to attract young voters and other issues like his age, he ended up stepping aside from the race.

Nowadays, Kamala Harris, the official candidate for the Blue party, is trying not to engage with the situation in Gaza, and she is still walking a fine line on this subject.

Her win has been doubted by many experts.  

700,000 votes against US policy toward Gaza

In The Nation, John Nichols points out how the “uncommitted” campaign — where over 700,000 voters cast blank ballots in protest of US policy toward Gaza — reflects growing dissatisfaction, especially in key states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

Now that Kamala Harris is the Democratic candidate, this presents a real challenge for her campaign.

According to Nichols, this movement signals that many young and progressive voters are demanding a clear stance on issues like Gaza and US foreign policy.

The SJP coalition at GWU and other student-led efforts are not just isolated protests; they represent a broader call for accountability that Harris will need to address to keep their support in November. 

After more than two months of negotiations with the university, the Student Coalition for Palestine decided to walk away from the negotiations in late September, rejecting to be in conversations on disclosure and divestment that offered no serious material outcomes.

Earlier last month, students had provided the administration with detailed financial policy recommendations, expecting a formal response.  

However, the administration returned with no update, no commitment to provide further information, and no explanation as to why. We reached out to George Washington University for a response to these claims but did not receive a reply by the time of publication. 

According to Kali, one of the leaders of the SJP coalition, “We entered these negotiations in full faith, expecting real outcomes. But with GW's refusal to engage meaningfully, we are now preparing for escalation in the coming months. We will not be silenced.”

The coalition plans to intensify its protests and continue building pressure on the university.

Kali added, “We’re committed to making our voices unavoidable for every administrator on campus. They will have no choice but to meet us in good faith.” 

Reluctance to rely on politicians with no meaningful action

Indeed The SJP coalition at GWU is not placing its hopes in the electoral process.

As Kali explained, “We’re not trying to rely on politicians who consistently fail to take meaningful action. Our focus is on building grassroots power and applying pressure where it counts.”

This sentiment meets Moataz's perspective, a Palestinian graduate student who was suspended for a whole semester for being active.

“It’s not through participating in the system that you bring about change, but by actively going against it,” Motaz told The New Arab.

For the SJP coalition, real change comes from direct action and organising on the ground rather than hoping for a shift in policy from leaders they see as complicit in the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

While they are aware of the election’s importance, their strategy prioritises activism, divestment, and disrupting institutional complicity over electoral politics. 

Zionists on campus silencing Palestinian voices

Moataz, a Palestinian graduate student at GWU, is originally from Gaza, where his family used to live before they were lucky to cross the border to Egypt. He has faced significant challenges due to his activism as a Palestinian.

His outspoken stance against Zionism has made him a target among zionist students at the university. “I had to share a classroom with individuals who proudly served in the IDF,” he explained.

Zionist students in his programme lodged complaints against him, weaponising the university’s disciplinary processes to silence him.

“I was treated throughout the whole process like I did something wrong when, in reality, the only thing I did was speak up about the subjugation of Palestinians,” he added. 

Despite these obstacles, Moataz found strength in the SJP coalition and remained committed to the cause.

From his experience, it is clear how Zionist targeting extends beyond the political sphere into academic spaces, trying to silence voices advocating for Palestinian rights and against the genocide in Gaza. 

The long-term impact of these movements cannot be underestimated.

Beyond GWU, SJP students have organised encampments at more than 50 universities, and this activism is unlikely to disappear regardless of the election’s outcome in November.

Many of these students, like Moataz and Kali, are committed to creating systemic change.

"We will not be silenced," Kali emphasised, reflecting the coalition's determination to first push for their clear demands to drop the charges against the pro-Palestinian activist students, besides the demand for divestment and transparency about the university's financials. 

Although the SJP coalitions across the states have yet to see compelling results, they still indicate a new environment not only for Palestine but also regarding human rights issues.

As one of the students told me in one of the protests, “Those are the leaders of the next generation, and time will tell.” 

Samah Wattad is an investigative journalist and a Master's student in Communication at George Washington University, specialising in political communications. With over nine years of experience, her work focuses on politics, disinformation, and media influence