Pro-Palestinian students staged a protest at the University of Leeds in the UK against the reinstatement of Rabbi Zechariah Deutsch, following his participation with Israeli forces in Gaza. According to the Middle East Eye website in London, Deutsch, who works in religious services at several British universities including Leeds and Sheffield, took a leave last year to serve as a reserve soldier in the Israeli army after the October 7 attacks, and has recently returned to his position at the university.
The website reported that Deutsch, an Israeli citizen, sent a series of videos to students via a religious WhatsApp group, defending his decision to return to Israel to join the military, which prompted some students to protest and demand his resignation. In a circulated video, students at the University of Leeds were seen waving the Palestinian flag and holding signs that read "Free Palestine" and "Stop Killing Children." The demonstrators also called for condemnation of Israeli genocide and for creating a safe space for students to protest, as well as for the banning of war criminals from entering the university campus.
