Georgetown, George Washington, and American University chapters vow to escalate ‘student intifada’
Jewish Voice for Peace chapters at three Washington, D.C., universities ditched the anti-Israel group this month to form an even more radical organization: the National Anti-Zionist Jewish Student Front. The new group swears allegiance to the pro-terrorist Palestine Liberation Organization militant creed—which demands a “right to resistance”—and vows to escalate confrontations in college classrooms and on campuses.
The former JVP chapters at Georgetown, George Washington (GW), and American University announced the move on Sept. 7 and switched their Instagram account names and profile pictures to identify as affiliates of the Anti-Zionist Jewish Student Front. The new group promises to “build a new front of Jewish students” and follow “Gaza as our compass, unconditionally.”
“We work to dismantle Zionism in its entirety by confronting Zionist institutions on campus, to struggle for divestment, and to pursue the criminalization of Zionism as a white supremacist weapon of war,” the Anti-Zionist Jewish Student Front wrote on Instagram. “Rejecting Zionism and upholding Palestinians’ right to return, remain, and resist are central to opposing fascist escalation and the consolidation of power in the US and across the world.”
The news could spell trouble for Georgetown, GW, and American, given that the schools’ JVP chapters have already sown chaos on campus and helped put their institutions on the Trump administration’s radar. All three expressed support for Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack and participated in the illegal encampments at GW in spring 2024. The Trump administration is investigating anti-Semitism at American University and just last month found GW was “deliberately indifferent” to campus anti-Semitism, creating a hostile environment for Jewish, American-Israeli, and Israeli students and faculty in violation of civil rights law.
The Anti-Zionist Jewish Student Front was nonetheless founded on the belief that JVP’s anti-Israel efforts have not gone far enough.
“On campuses across the world, the student intifada is at the forefront of escalating demands for divestment,” the group wrote in its Instagram post. “Our classrooms have become a theater for the battle against imperialism and state repression, because there is nothing university profiteers and state actors fear more than a politicized, organized student mass.”
“While these tactics certainly have a place in the movement at large, now is the time to reassess the effectiveness of our solidarity in the student intifada,” the post continued. “We must question, as anti-Zionist Jews living safely in the heart of Western empire that has sustained 77 years of occupation, has it been enough?”
The Anti-Zionist Jewish Student Front says it adheres to al-Thawabit, a foundational creed the Palestine Liberation Organization created in 1977 “to which all Palestinian factions must pledge fealty.” The principles include the “right to resistance,” the “right to self-determination,” the designation of “Jerusalem as the capital” of a Palestinian state, and the “right to return.” The newly formed group also notes that its logo includes Arabic that translates to “Where there is oppression, may there thrive resistance” and the Hebrew phrase “L’chaim Intifada.”
Breaking with JVP for not being radical enough is a jarring statement on its own. The group, which did not respond to a request for comment, has a history of supporting Palestinian terrorism and peddling propaganda demonizing Israel. Just hours after Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, JVP issued a statement justifying the attack and blaming it on Israel. It has also honored Leila Khaled—a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist group and airplane hijacker—and has referred to Palestinian terrorists as political prisoners.
GW’s JVP chapter, meanwhile, was among the dozens of student groups that signed a petition in response to the Trump administration’s probe, calling on the school to become a “sanctuary campus” by banning all law enforcement, including ICE and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. The chapter was also suspended last month through May 2026 after it held an unapproved, on-campus event and published a social media post that “created a hostile environment” for Jewish students. As a result, the group wouldn’t have been eligible for university funding even if it didn’t ditch JVP, according to GW spokeswoman Julia Garbitt, who noted that the Anti-Zionist Jewish Student Front also wasn’t a recognized student group.
“GW prioritizes fostering an environment that is respectful, accountable, and safe for all, and behavior that is disruptive, harmful, or does not comply with GW policies is not tolerated. The university responds to reports of misconduct and holds accountable student organizations that violate our policies,” said Garbitt.
An American University spokeswoman also said the chapter at her university wasn’t a recognized student group. It’s unclear, however, if it could continue to officially operate as a JVP affiliate to score student group privileges like hosting sanctioned events while using its new brand in social media posts and at protests.
Georgetown did not respond to a request for comment.
Even if the Anti-Zionist Jewish Student Front chapters aren’t recognized as student groups, there’s still potential for significant unrest. Columbia University Apartheid Divest, for example, is not a recognized student group, but it’s been behind some of the most extreme disruptions at the Ivy League school, including raids on campus buildings.
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