The Red and Black

Issue date: 1/12/09 Section: News

Media Credit: FRANNIE FABIAN Shireen Judeh, president of Athens for Justice in Palenstine, protests in solidarity for Gaza. The protestors marched from Woodruff Park to the CNN center. It was one of many protests calling for ceasefire. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: FRANNIE FABIAN Palestine supporters march against Israel's occupation in Gaza in Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta on January 10, 2009. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: FRANNIE FABIAN Children protest the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. More than 880 people have been reported dead since Dec. 27. [Click to enlarge]

As the crossfire between Palestinian and Israeli forces continues, students on campus in support of both sides approach the conflict with different solutions for peace.

Though armed conflicts have occurred between the two nations before, the most recent conflict occurred Dec. 27 when Israel began its attack against Hamas, a Palestinian political and military organization. More than 880 people have been reported dead since the initial attack, according to New York Times reports.

Shireen Judeh, a senior from Duluth and president of Athens for Justice in Palestine, said the war in Israel affects her particularly because she is of Palestinian-American descent. Judeh said she feels she has a moral obligation to make her community aware of the Palestinians' plight.

"The most recent atrocities in the Gaza Strip have deeply affected anyone and everyone who has heard of them," Judeh said. "At the [present] time … over 800 people in Gaza have lost their lives at the hands of the criminal Israeli war machine, one third of those people are children, and over 3,200 people have been wounded."

Yasmin Yonis, a sophomore from Lawrenceville, said her involvement in the fight for justice in Palestine stems from her commitment to human rights, rather than from a dislike of the Israeli nation.

"Without the U.S., [the conflict] would not be happening," Yonis said. "My tax dollars are being used - billions, billions and billions of dollars a year are being sent to Israel to fund genocide, to fund murder."

Yonis said she believes the American media has a strong pro-Israel spin because of the U.S. government's support of Israel.

"Even though the U.S. media is supposed to be unbiased, they are very pro-Israel," she said. "You'll see in stories at the beginning that two Israeli soldiers were killed, and then at the bottom that 10 [Palestinian] children are dead, so you can see the priorities."

Hadas Peles, a senior from Los Angeles, is a member of Dawgs for Israel and lived in Israel for the first 10 years of her life. She said though the violence is unfortunate, it is understandable.

"My dad was actually on a bus that a bomb was thrown on, so I know what it's like to experience terrorism first hand, and have to rush to the hospital and experience that terror," she said.

"You have to look at the fighting this way. If Mexico or Canada threw one bomb or rocket at the U.S., the U.S. would have to defend itself, and there have been thousands of rockets thrown at citizens of Israel. It's been eight years of rockets and bombs shot over Gaza toward Israel, and Israel has to protect its citizens … The rocket launching greatly escalated to the point where conditions were no longer livable," she said.

Peles said she appreciated that President-elect Barack Obama had stated he supported Israel, and felt he was the right person to help resolve issues affecting the area.

"I hope he helps them sooner rather than later, because [President] George Bush waited until the last year of his presidency to help the Israeli people," Peles said.

Zaid Jilani, a junior from Kennesaw, supports an organization called J-Street that serves as a way for progressive Jewish-Americans to call for a ceasefire in Palestine. He also works with Athens for Justice in Palestine and attends several rallies meant to call for a ceasefire.

"On a personal level, I've met so many people from that area. You see it as a kind of extension of friendship to be able to understand what your friends are going through, worrying about their loved ones and the challenges they faced when they were living there," Jilani said.

Judeh and Jilani participated with many in a ceasefire rally in Atlanta on Saturday, one of many rallies held around the world in major cities to demonstrate for peace in Gaza.

"I really enjoyed the experience," Jilani said. "I was surprised at how diverse the crowd was ... I was really happy to see such a diverse crowd because it's not really something that affects Arabs and Jewish-Americans, it affects everyone. Plus, our country is involved. It's in everyone's interest to see peace, and I'm glad that [at the ceasefire rally] there wasn't just one group or demographic."

"The people who are involved in the movement here in the U.S. aren't doing so out of hate or demonization of Palestine and Israel," Jilani said.

"All we're trying to say is our country should work as a fair negotiator to all sides to bring peace. If we only focus on peace to Israel, it will only hurt all sides in the long run, including Israel. We really just want to value everyone's lives fairly, and see peace in the long-run," he said.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools