(WXYZ) — The Israel-Hamas War is now part of the landscape at several universities, including right here in Michigan.
Encampment protests are taking over college campuses and pro-Palestinian protesters demand that universities divest from companies that are profiting from the war. On the other end, Jewish students say they're worried for their safety.
At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, students have been camped out on the Diag for a week now, and students remain steadfast.
There are nearly two dozen tents covering the Diag as students demand the school divest money from companies profiting from the war in Gaza.
“At the University of Michigan, there’s over $6 billion invested either directly in companies or in private equity firms that manage funds that go to companies that are weapons manufacturing, Israeli companies, tech firms," one person told us.
The protest which started at U-M last Monday is a part of a growing number of students at universities across the country pushing back against the war.
There are also encampments at NYU, Yale and Columbia University among others.
“Given the fact that our government funds Israel and funds a lot of the weapons that are used in this devastation, it’s important for us as US citizens to stand up and let our voices be heard about it because it’s our tax dollars that are going to funding this thing," Keith Button, an Ann Arbor resident, said.
While some community members have shown up to support the student protesters, others say they’re trying to bridge the divide.
“It’s necessary for outsiders to come in and say ‘listen, why don’t you two groups start thinking about what’s good for both of you and in the hopes that’s something in the future… You’re both going to be here in the future. The Israeli kids are going to be here in the future. The Palestinian kids are going to be here in the future. You’re both going to live and be well. Why not start now and try to live and be well together?’” Howard Rosenberg from Bloomfield Hills said.
Last week a group of students with Israeli flags also showed up to counter the student protesters and to start a dialogue.
“We all want this war to be over. We want everyone to be safe. We want to stop the dying, stop the killing. I mean, we just want everyone to return safely," Izzie Hayman, a pro-Israel counter protester, said.
The university said they have had a policy in place for more than two decades to shield their investments from political pressures.
They say much of the school's endowment is donor funding given to provide logn-term financial support for designated purposes.
