Students and community members think back on the UC Davis encampment, discuss ongoing efforts for Palestinian activism
By EVELYN SANCHEZ — features@theaggie.org
An entire 418 days and counting have passed since Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip. After a year of Gazans being slowly depleted of necessities, Israel has extended their invasion onto the West Bank and Lebanon.
Around 1.9 million people, or 90% of the population on the Strip, have been displaced from their homes. Millions must face harsh conditions with inadequate clothes, food and water, and a lack of sanitation has increased the number of diseases spreading throughout cramped conditions. The destruction of public infrastructure and facilities has even led to cases of polio being reported.
Northern Gaza has been under a tight siege since Oct. 6, 2024, where no aid or humanitarian trucks have been allowed in. Israel has consistently violated ceasefire orders in Gaza, having recently broken the Lebanon ceasefire as of Nov. 28, 2024 by shelling two cities in Southern Lebanon. This attack was in response to a recent response by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party, during which they sent a “defensive and warning response,” sending two mortars into the disputed Shebaa Farms territory in Lebanon.
“Humanitarian workers are being killed at an unprecedented rate, their courage and humanity being met with bullets and bombs,” Tom Fletcher, the new United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said.
More journalists have been killed during Israel’s siege on Gaza compared to the entirety of the Vietnam War and World War II journalist casualties combined. The conflict in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of 333 aid workers and 137 journalists and media workers since Oct. 7, 2023. Israel has targeted these groups, who are protected by international law, in addition to war crimes the state has committed on its own population.
With the UC Davis Popular University for the Liberation of Palestine’s (PULP) encampment demands not being met — including complete university divestment from businesses and investments in Israel — some members of the Davis community believe that the university remains complicit in Israel’s crimes.
“I saw the encampment as a way to voice our concerns that we didn’t want our money being sent over to Israel,” Manuel Maravilla, a fourth-year cinema and digital media major, said. “We didn’t want our tuition dollars going to the murder of children.”
Maravilla continued by sharing how her experience with the Davis encampment had a positive impact on her life.
“I do think the encampment was a necessary thing, and a beautiful one,” Maravilla said. “I built a lot of friendships and community by being in the encampment.”
Raeda Zarzour, a community member that has lived in the greater Sacramento area their entire life, emphasized the importance of using protesting as a tool for change.
“Protesting is one of our best and largest weapon[s] to get movement and our strongest tool to get things achieved in this country,” Zarzour said.
Zarzour was actively involved in the California State University, Sacramento and UC Davis encampments, with the former school reaching a divestment compromise within a week.
“We helped [students] think out their demands and helped in wording [them] properly,” Zarzour said.
Zarzour, also a participant, commented on the encampment’s ability to connect students, staff and graduate students.
“Students who didn’t feel comfortable using their voices found a community where they had emotional support from older students, grad students, faculty and community members willing to help them use their voice,” Zarzour said.
A third-year student, who asked to remain anonymous, also spoke on her experiences as a Palestinian student and member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UC Davis. The student discussed the passing of Senate Bill #52 in accordance with the Boycotting, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) in February 2024, a non-violent global campaign promoting boycotts against Israel and organizations that they have deemed complicit in Israel’s actions.
“When we passed BDS in February, that was a huge deal,” the student said. “The $20 million divestment was a big win, and we were the first in the country to do that.”
The encampment not only represented the student and community body dissatisfied with the university, but it also proved to be a great place to facilitate discussion on Palestine and other related issues.
Although many people found support, Zarzour explained the harmful responses from other members of the community. Despite May’s stance on protecting the protestors’ First Amendment rights, Zarzour believes that the consistent police presence should have been used to protect the students and community members. Instead, they felt that the encampment was unfairly allowed to be harassed and recorded.
“[The encampment] drew people from within the city, not affiliated with campus or students, for the purpose of disrupting and harassing sometimes minor students,” Zarzour said. “UC Davis is letting full-blown adults in their 60s post photos of minor student faces and tagging the school and [the] school has done nothing.”
After the weather began nearing triple digits and student presence diminished due to the beginning of summer, the encampment had no choice but to pack up despite PULP not reaching formal negotiations with the UC Davis administration.
The anonymous student said that many compromises were promised, but the UC Regents failed to deliver anything on paper, and a struggle of SJP persists as they maintain contact with the necessary boards to make sure they deliver on their promises.
“We got in a couple negotiation sessions to talk about it, and at the end of the day they didn’t wanna put anything on paper,” the anonymous student said. “Most of the struggle has been to hold them to their word.”
SJP continues to advocate for their demands, staying committed to both pro-Palestinian and pro-divestment causes at Davis and beyond.
Any excess food and tents from the encampment were donated to the unhoused community surrounding Davis and Sacramento.
“People are failing to realize it’s not something that happens overnight or a year,” the anonymous student said. “[Divestment] takes a while to accomplish. If we can get the ball rolling for future students to take on the projects, then that’s what we’re gonna do.”
SJP organizations from other universities have been actively collaborating and circulating information with each other, according to the anonymous student.
“One thing I always tell people is just talk to Palestinians,” the student said. “I know that sounds so obvious, but a lot of people are starting to disregard and ignore Palestinians in their community.”
The encampment featured many teach-ins with faculty and offered many opportunities for students and staff alike to educate themselves about Palestinian history and culture.
One such talk was held with Plestia Alaquas, a Palestinian journalist who was on the ground — highlighting Palestinian voices both inside and outside of the community became essential to remind students of solidarity during divisive times.
“We are all focused on saving ourselves,” Zazour said. “Palestinian protesters aren’t only protesting to get the school to divest because it helps Palestine. Students should be concerned about where the money goes and how [the] faculty treats students with differing opinions, because it affects the safety of everyone.”
The anonymous student said that SJP is always working toward making the movement larger.
“It’s just a matter of time,” the student said.
Students in SJP, elsewhere at UC Davis and far beyond continue to express that society cannot afford apathy or inaction toward this crisis. There are many resources and organizations available to students at Davis looking to learn more about the ongoing situation or get involved.
Written By: Evelyn Sanchez — features@theaggie.org
