[Peace-discuss] [Peace] Nov. 1 / Anarchists Against the Wall (Israeli who refused compulsory military service)

[David Green]

I attended this event last evening. It was well-attended, well over 100, perhaps 
close to 150. The young Israeli woman who spoke was difficult to hear, but very 
articulate. During the "question" period, she was joined by an equally 
articulate Palestinian student. Nevertheless, the 15 or 20 pro-Israel students 
were allowed to dominate the "question" period with their Hasbara statements, 
and the speakers were forced into addressing mostly the nature of Palestinian 
violence. To the young woman's credit, she repeatedly emphasized the nature of 
Israel as a terror state. 


After the event, Sara Lazare of Students for Justice in Palestine revealed that 
she had received threats prior to the event. She did not elaborate on this. I 
would hope that the nature and possible sources of these threats would be made 
public, and addressed by the administration (LOL).

It needs to be said that students who defend Israel in the manner of these 
"questioners" truly operate at no higher moral level than "good Germans" in the 
1930s. Yes, they're brainwashed--that's the point. But the nature of the 
"question" period didn't allow for this point to be clearly made. It should 
be--these students are shamefully ignorant and racist. The students who attended 
in order to try to learn something were in a sense short-changed, because the 
historical context just wasn't made clear enough by the speakers, although 
that's not a criticism of them.

Sara Lazare was previously an undergraduate on this campus, and while gone did 
some fine work with the Iraq war resistance movement. She's now in grad school 
in Middle East studies. She's an important person for the antiwar movement to 
have on this campus.

I personally think that SJP and the local pro-Palestinian movement, such as it 
is, needs to move beyond being "reactive," either in the case of events like 
Daniel Pipes, or even in terms of events that provide an opportunity for Zionist 
students to badger visitors like the woman last evening. There's just no point 
any longer. If there is broader support for the Palestinians and against US 
support for Israel, then it's time to have proactive, regular public displays of 
that view, especially in ways that challenge the cowardice of Jewish 
institutions on campus and in the community.

DG




________________________________
From: Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com>
To: peace at lists.chambana.net
Sent: Fri, October 22, 2010 5:29:15 AM
Subject: [Peace] Nov. 1 / Anarchists Against the Wall (Israeli who refused 
compulsory military service)

Students for Justice in Palestine proudly present:
Israeli organization Anarchists Against the Wall: Israel's Apartheid
Wall and the Fight to Stop It

AATW has been at the forefront of the Israeli Solidarity movement
which has joined the Palestinian popular resistance to the wall.
Sahar Verdi, Israeli member of AATW who also refused compulsory
military service in the IDF, will give a presentation about her
experiences as a part of the popular resistance.

Monday, November 1st @7pm
Noyes Lab 217 (take the SW stairwell up to the second floor, the room
is just there,
on the left)
505 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois
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