18 | FEBRUARY 2 • 2023 

S

houting “Long Live the Intifada” 
and “from the river to the sea, 
Palestine will be free” from bull-
horns, pro-Palestinian supporters unfurled 
large Palestinian flags and marched through 
the campus of the University of Michigan 
and then through the streets of Ann Arbor 
Thursday, Jan. 12.
The student organization Students Allied 
for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) timed the 
march with Vice President Kamala Harris’ 
visit to the Ann Arbor campus to discuss 
the challenge of climate change. The march-
ers were also protesting a recent proposal 
from the new Israeli government to ban the 
flying of the Palestinian flag in Israel and 
the disputed territories. 
Videos of the protest circulated widely on 
social media and received millions of views. 
The chants calling for an intifada alarmed 
some Jewish alumni and students, many 

whom were not yet born during the height 
of these waves of terrorism. According to 
data from the Israeli Embassy, the Second 
Intifada lasted from 2000-2005. During this 
period, Palestinian suicide bombers used 
increasingly powerful bombs to kill larger 
numbers of Israelis in their terror attacks.
More than 1,000 Israelis were killed and 
thousands severely injured. Over 2,000 
Palestinians were also killed during this 
period. The disproportionate number of 
Palestinian casualties was primarily a result 
of the number of Palestinians involved in 
violence. The deaths of noncombatants were 
largely due to the practice of Palestinian ter-
rorists using civilians as shields, according 
to the Israeli Embassy. 
Following the march, student group 
Wolverines for Israel released a statement 
on its Instagram page. The group acknowl-
edged that while it disagrees with the right-

ward slant of the current Israeli govern-
ment headed by Prime Minister Benjamin 
Netanyahu and law proposals to ban the 
Palestinian flag there, the campus protest 
carried things too far. 
The statement read: “Instead of fairly crit-
icizing the law, student organizations ‘pro-
tested’ it by carrying a sign stating, ‘there is 
only one solution’ and chanting ‘long live 
the intifada,
’ in other words a call to vio-
lence against Israelis and the Jewish state. As 
we have seen over the last year, such violent 
rhetoric has led to the brutalizing of Jews in 
the United States as well. This direct call for 
violence directly affects the lives of many 
innocent Israelis and is not the solution for 
peace.
” 
Wolverines for Israel did not offer further 
comment when contacted by the JN. 

RISING TENSIONS
In its written charter, SAFE, which is the 
local chapter of the national Students for 
Justice in Palestine, states that it “upholds 
itself and its members to a high standard 
of conduct in order to engage in positive 
student activism that promotes the stated 
mission. Individuals or groups acting as 
members, representatives or sponsors of 
SAFE agree to abide by the guiding princi-
ples of the organization.
” 
However, the organization — under the 
guise of protecting human rights — has a 

Calling for a 
New Intifada

OUR COMMUNITY

Pro-Palestinian protest at U-M raises concern 
among Jewish students.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT

The Jan. 12 SAFE 
demonstration 
on the campus 
of University of 
Michigan Ann Arbor

