State: California
City: Los Angeles
Campus: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Saree Makdisi is a professor at UCLA and an outspoken critic of Israel. He is affiliated with FSJP-UCLA and has been directly involved in campus protests, most notably supporting the encampments in 2024. His body of work and public statements consistently frame Israel as an apartheid state, promote radical one-state solutions, and downplay or distort antisemitism on campus.
Campus Activism and Encampment Involvement
In April 2024, Makdisi was spotted holding an FSJP sign during the UCLA pro-Palestinian student encampment, even as police conducted arrests. He has repeatedly defended such protests in media appearances, interviews, and writings, criticizing universities like UCLA for failing to protect student protesters. In a March 2024 interview with The Drift, he condemned administrators for caving to political pressure rather than safeguarding what he called academic freedom and free expression.
Public Positions on Israel and Zionism
Makdisi frequently describes Israel as an “apartheid project,” rooted in colonization and ethnic cleansing. He has called for a one-state solution, effectively eliminating Israel’s Jewish identity, and suggested Jews should become a minority by conceding the “right of return” to millions of Palestinians. He has openly supported boycotts of Israel and signed onto lists endorsing academic and cultural boycotts.
Controversial Statements and Holocaust Inversion
In lectures and articles, Makdisi has accused Israel of exploiting the Holocaust while ignoring Palestinian suffering. He has gone so far as to compare Gaza to Nazi concentration camps, a form of Holocaust inversion condemned as antisemitic under the IHRA definition. In other statements, he has claimed Israel deliberately kills Palestinian civilians, repeating narratives that demonize the Jewish state while ignoring terrorism and violence directed at Israelis.
Involvement with Anti-Israel Organizations
Makdisi has partnered with organizations and activists long tied to extremist rhetoric. He has appeared at events with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI), and others. In 2019, he served as a judge for a scholarship named after Ghassan Kanafani, a spokesperson for the terrorist group PFLP. He also co-hosts the YouTube channel Makdisi Street, which has featured guests such as Mohammed El-Kurd, known for inflammatory and antisemitic rhetoric.
Ongoing Media Presence
Makdisi has published op-eds in mainstream outlets such as The Los Angeles Times and appeared on platforms like Democracy Now!. In these forums, he repeats themes of apartheid, colonialism, and denial of Jewish nationhood, while framing criticism of anti-Israel activism as censorship. He has been sharply criticized by watchdog groups like HonestReporting and Campus Watch for antisemitism and bias.
Conclusion
Saree Makdisi’s influence on UCLA’s campus and beyond lies not only in his scholarship but in his direct support for student encampments, radical anti-Israel rhetoric, and participation in campaigns that blur the line between political critique and antisemitism. His active role in FSJP-UCLA and repeated demonization of Israel contribute to an academic environment that normalizes hostility toward Jewish students and silences pro-Israel voices.
