MILWAUKEE — Structures continued to come down at the encampment outside of UW-Milwaukee's Mitchell Hall on Monday night.
The university administration and protesters came to an agreement to end the encampment by 8:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.
"Although it is the end of the encampment, this is not our end of efforts to liberate Palestine," said Zaid Dahir, a UWM student.
Dahir didn't call the agreement a victory as the protesters didn't have all of their demands met.
On Monday night, protesters shared a Palestinian meal as barricades, tents, and plywood were moved out.
In a statement from UWM Chancellor Mark Mone, he expressed his gratitude that the protest was conducted peacefully. He also expressed that he did not ask the police to break up the encampment because the university "prioritized the safety of everyone involved, which meant seeking resolution through dialogue with our students."
The agreement also says that there must be no disruptions at UWM commencement ceremonies.
For the past two weeks, students and members of the community have been drawing attention to the conflict in Gaza and calling on universities to divest from companies doing business in Israel. It's part of a national movement seen at campuses around the country.
"Public knowledge about what is made clear about what they're investing in exactly if they're investing in any organizations that are directly tied to Israel or mutually tied to Israel because we don't want our money going to fund genocide," said Dahir.
UWM staff met with the students several times to get to a peaceful resolution, despite the encampment violating state law.
"I think it's a very bad idea to award or reward those who were breaking the rules by creating more discrimination against Jewish students and against pro-Israel students in the university," said Yinam Cohen, Consul General of Israel to the Midwest.
Cohen wants to speak further with the university and has considered the statement put out by UWM to be riddled with misinformation about the conflict in Gaza, including the number of casualties.
"They decided to cut the relations of the Water Council of Milwaukee with two major Israeli institutions, the Mekorot Water Company, who, as we speak, work very tirelessly to bring water into Gaza, even though they are not obliged to, and secondly with the Israeli Innovation Authority, which has nothing to do with the war," said Cohen.
Both Hillel Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Jewish Federation released a statement condemning the agreement. Read their statement here.
Student organizers plan to meet with the UWM Foundation on Tuesday to discuss divestment.
As of Tuesday morning, around 6:00 a.m., students still had several large piles of scrap wood, pallets and cardboard to clear out. Student organizers told TMJ4 they were instructed to leave these items on the lawn for university staff to dispose of.
As of about 8:20 Tuesday morning, crews were clearing away the last of the debris.
The agreement:
"UWM calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemns genocide.
UWM also denounces the destruction of the universities in Gaza.
Protesters wanted UWM to divest from companies with ties to Israel. This has not happened, but the UWM Foundation, the organization that handles the university's investments, has agreed to meet with students to discuss their concerns and make requests for specific divestment.
Protesters also wanted UWM to cut ties with private companies tied to Israel. UWM cannot legally end its relationship with companies that do business in Israel.
UWM will take a look at its study-abroad policies and programs. There is not currently an option to study abroad in Israel offered through UWM. The third-party company Hillel is separate from the university and is not advertised through UWM. The Water Council had ties to two Israeli government companies that were involved in cutting off Palestinian access to drinking water. The Water Council told Chancellor Mone it no longer has a relationship with those companies and both have been removed from the Water Council's website.
Protesters will end the encampment in return for the formal statements by UWM, reviewing the study abroad program and the UWM Foundation continuing to work with the protesters on their concerns over divestment."
The full statement can be read here.
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