Pro-Israel students at York University say they feel unsafe after the student union passed a motion to boycott Israeli settlement goods.
Jewish undergraduate Zachary Confino said: "Quite a lot of Jewish students are not happy about being openly Jewish or pro-Israel on campus. I feel it is not the safest thing to do. It is not the most welcoming place to be pro-Israel."
He blamed the "rising tensions" on "new students in the Palestinian Solidarity Society who have been very active".
The boycott motion, passed by a majority of over 600 votes, was the first to be put forward at York.
It came after Israel Apartheid Week activities had been held on the campus for the first time, earlier this year, hosted by the Palestinian Solidarity Society (PSS) .
‘Being openly Jewish or pro-Israel on campus is not the safest thing to do’
During the week of anti-Israel activities, students set up a simulated check-point and planned a die-in to take place in the university library.
Members of the Conservative Society led the boycott counter-campaign. Society member Jordan Hennessy said the pro-Palestinian activism had been aggressive.
He said: "Growing up in the north-east of England as a Tory supporter I thought I was already used to being the most hated man in the room, but I have never felt more hated than when we had the debate for the referendum.
"Pro-Palestinians think that because you have these views you are a bad person. They cannot separate the person and their views.
"Usually after a debate we all go to the bars and chat as friends, but after the boycott debate the 'yes' side crowded around us. It was quite intense."
The second-year student, who is not Jewish, said the re-election of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have increased animostity against Israel.
York JSoc has around 30 members, only 15 of whom are active. JSoc president, first-year student Chloe Lasher said: "If I wanted to hang an Israeli flag out of my window, I would feel ambivalent about whether it is a good idea."
But Habib Nassar, the president of the 300-strong PSS, attributed the heated atmosphere around the boycott debate to "outrageous" comments from a pro-Israel campaigner.
He said that if Israel supporters "feel intimidated I wish they would come and have a dialogue with us. We are not trying to be intimidating to them. It is not our goal".
The society's BDS officer, Eran Cohen, who is an Israeli, acknowledged it was a controversial issues.
He said: "The moral side is very clear. It is important not to paint a picture of Jews in Israel as homogenous in their support of Israel policy."
