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Staff at universities across have expressed their support for University of students (UMSU) who passed a Palestine solidarity motion last week.Ìý

UMSU passed a resolution, 'UMSU Stands with Palestine - BDS and Solidarity Policy', on Friday that accused Israel of ongoing. The motion described Zionism as a "racist, colonial ideology,"Ìýand prompted smear campaigns from Jewish student groups who branded it "antisemitic".

Lecturers and staff from Melbourne University as well as from other educational institutionsÌýreleased "an academic solidarity statement" on MondayÌýsupporting the UMSU and all students who "take a stance on Palestine".

UMSU Stands with : AN ACADEMIC SOLIDARITY STATEMENT 🧵

We, the undersigned staff members at Universities across Australia, support the University of Melbourne students who passed the recent motion ‘UMSU Stands with Palestine – BDS and Solidarity Policy’.

— Jeanine Hourani | جنين حوراني #FreePalestine (@jeaninehourani)

"We understand the motion that was passed by the UMSU not to be anti-Jewish but rather pro-human rights and pro-human dignity," the statement said.Ìý

"Universities have a duty of care to protect the rights of their students who choose to take action and make political statements against colonialism, racism, and apartheid," it read.Ìý

The statement made clear that it agreed with the UMSU’s definition of Zionism and warned against the "conflation of".

More than 30 staff signed the document as of Monday, including Dr Jordana Silverstein from the University of Melbourne and Professor Chelsea Watego from Queensland University.Ìý

The Australian academic statementÌýwas releasedÌýjust days after a powerful solidarity statement from the which said they endorsed pro-PalestineÌýBoycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movements.Ìý

The student-run newspaper from the Ivy-league university said "the weight of this moment…demands this step".

The Jewish Editorial Chair, Orlee Marini-Rapoport, later posted on Twitter that she was "proud to be part of [the] thoughtful group".

have systematically prosecuted and oppressed Palestinians for decades, committing violations that Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said amount to "the crimes of apartheid".Ìý

Palestinian activists and allies have called for institutions and individualsÌýto put pressure on the Israeli government through mirroring the international campaigns against South African apartheid.