A Palestinian student’s hunger strike at UCLA has ignited a national campus movement over Gaza and university investment policies, drawing support—and sharp criticism.
At a Glance
- Maya, a Palestinian UCLA student, launched a hunger strike on May 10.
- Protesters accuse UCLA of investing in Israeli-linked and military firms.
- Encampments were set up for “Nakba Day,” leading to police intervention.
- CSU students joined with coordinated hunger strikes on May 5.
- School officials support free speech but oppose altering investment strategies.
Maya’s Protest Sparks a Campus Reckoning
For over a week, Maya, a UCLA student of Palestinian descent, has refused food in protest of what she describes as the university’s complicity in “genocide.” Her hunger strike, now a flashpoint in a wider pro-Palestinian movement, has galvanized anti-Israel demonstrators across California campuses. Marking “Nakba Day”—commemorating the 1948 displacement of Palestinians—activists erected encampments in UCLA’s Dixon Quad, including a symbolic reconstruction of Jaffa with cardboard and citrus trees.
These acts mirror a broader movement led by Students for Justice in Palestine, whose members at California State University campuses—including San Francisco, Long Beach, and Sacramento—began their own hunger strike five days earlier. Their demands: end aid blockades to Gaza, divest from weapons manufacturers, and reject partnerships with surveillance-linked corporations.
Watch a report: UCLA Student Provides Hunger Strike Update.
Divestment Demands and Institutional Resistance
Protesters have called for UCLA and other public universities to cut financial ties with any entities profiting from Israel’s military or surveillance efforts. These include defense contractors and tech firms they allege contribute to the Gaza blockade and human rights violations.
Despite growing pressure, university officials remain firm. The CSU system’s director of media relations reiterated that “changes to investment policies are not forthcoming.” While affirming student rights to protest, the administration signaled no policy shift is on the horizon—a stance that has only fueled student frustration.
In one heated exchange, Maya accused the university of using tuition dollars to “fund apartheid,” echoing broader campus calls to recognize the alleged complicity of higher education institutions in global injustices.
Clashing Narratives and Escalating Tensions
Though the hunger strikes have drawn wide support from social justice advocates, critics argue the protests are contradictory—especially given that students remain enrolled in institutions they publicly denounce. Detractors also question the protests’ alignment with academic goals and campus norms, pointing to recent police removals of encampments as signs of legal overreach.
Still, educators like Sacramento State’s Jaime Jackson defend the protests’ symbolic power. “The bombing, the killing, the massive violations of human rights have been an ongoing issue throughout,” he stated, urging institutions to engage more deeply with their moral responsibilities.
As Maya’s health reportedly deteriorates, her personal sacrifice now serves as the emotional epicenter of a growing youth-led call for justice—one that refuses to be silenced by either bureaucratic inertia or public criticism. The question remains: will universities bend, or bet on this moment passing?
