If
you walk by SIS Founders room sometime tonight, you’ll probably see Israel Gala
going on. AU Students for Israel, Ameripac and J Street U are hosting the event
where students can learn about the pro-Israel clubs on campus and eat “Israeli”
food.
But
what is there to celebrate?
This
summer, over two thousand Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in Operation
Protective Edge. Two thousand mothers, daughters, sons, fathers, brothers,
sisters, and friends.
Palestinians
live under occupation and apartheid. There have been over 27 thousand
settlements on Palestinian land. These settlements are illegal under
international law and force families out of their homes and into refuge. They
cannot return. Palestinians are not allowed to live and work in the majority of
the land that used to be theirs. They are put under constant scrutiny and
brutality by the military that protects Israelis. While we go to school and
stress over midterms, Palestinian students sit by empty chairs that used to
seat their fallen friends. One Palestinian child has been killed by an Israeli
soldier every three days, and that’s before this past summer. The United States
gives billions of dollars a year to Israel and this is how Palestinians live.
So forgive us, for not
embracing Israel, or its culture. While students celebrate Israel at an event
they will probably tell you is apolitical, we mourn. We mourn for Palestinians
and their families who have to simultaneously get over their lost loved ones
rebuild their lives that were destroyed. We mourn for those living in Palestine
and Israel who are traumatized by the violence this summer, before this summer,
and ongoing.
This
is a challenge to students here. When you see the gala, or if you decide to go
it, take some time to think about what you’re celebrating. You may think you’re
simply enjoying some falafel and meeting new friends, but going to events like
“Israel Gala” means you’re turning the other direction to the violence and
injustice we try so hard to eliminate.
Signed,
American University
Students for Justice in Palestine
Sources:
Globalresearch.org
VisualizingPalestine.org
ICAHD.org
