In response to Israel's military action to staunch the barrage of Hamas rockets hurled at Israeli towns and cities in December 2008 and January 2009, students and faculty on college campuses nationwide have attempted to steer university and public support away from Israel by initiating petitions, resolutions and other efforts promoting boycott and divestment campaigns against Israeli and Israel-affiliated companies and institutions.

Professors and other speakers have advocated for boycott and divestment efforts against Israel in their writings and during panel discussions, talks and meetings on and off campus. In some cases, the campus events have been sponsored or co-sponsored by academic departments or faculty organizations of the hosting college or university.

Campus divestment efforts have gained some traction since mid-February, when a decision by Hampshire College to disinvest from a mutual fund with ties to Israel prompted Students for Justice in Palestine, a student group that had been pushing for divestment at Hampshire, to claim victory.

Despite Hampshire's insistence that its action was unrelated to Israel, individuals and groups on campuses nationwide have used the attention garnered by the Hampshire effort to push their own divestment campaigns forward.

Punitive actions against Israel have been reinforced by the formation of new groups dedicated to promoting boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) agendas.  In some such cases, as with an academic boycott group called the U.S. Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel , these groups have gained notable support from some professors and other university faculty.

BDS campaigns against Israel have also been a recurring theme at rallies and demonstrations organized on campuses in response to Israel's winter offensive in Gaza.