Kellie Jay Keen once famously quipped "I'm not a vet, but I know what a dog is". Inspired by that quote, I would say "I'm not a historian, but I know what a genocide is".
Who cares if they don't understand the history of the region, or what it means, or what it entails, or how it started, or what the Palestinians believe, or what the Israelis believe? What does it even matter if they even know who Netanyahu is? I have spoken to a few of them, and I can tell you they are actually very well informed. They have been sharing historical details with me that I didn't even know about - and I have had many more years on earth than them and I've done considerable reading and researching on Israel/Palestine. These are very bright, sharp young people. I have been very impressed by them.
Regardless, I don't think such knowledge is necessary. A genocide is a genocide. Ethnic cleansing is ethnic cleansing. War crimes are war crimes. There are specific legal definitions for these things, and there is no justification for them no matter who does them or where in the world they occur.
Re: Ukraine, abortion, BLM, etc...students were not protesting or demonstrating on campuses over them. And let's remember what their demands actually were/are : disclose investments and divest from Israel. Seems like reasonable demands...shouldn't students know where and how their tuition payments are spent? Shouldn't they have some say in the matter, to the extent that if a particular country's leadership stands accused of war crimes, the students can demand that their alma mater does not inadvertently fund, directly or indirectly, any atrocities by investing in that country? I think that shows the students have some very strong convictions and a solid sense of right and wrong. Completely by accident, we did something right in raising this next generation.