Members of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality stood next
to a fake wall placed on the Diag yesterday protesting
Israel’s construction of barriers that cut through the West
Bank. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Diag, pro-Israel students
urged passersby to buy blue Israeli “solidarity”
T-shirts.
- Kate Green
- SHUBRA OHRI/Daily
LSA junior Hassan Abraham stands on the Diag in front of a model of the Israeli security wall yesterday. The original wall, built by Israeli Defense Forces, separates Israel from the West Bank.
The “wall of segregation” display was part of a
national effort to educate the public about on the wall separating
the West Bank — which critics say is a land grab that results
in the expulsion of Palestinians.
LSA senior Salah Husseini said the wall is comparable to the
Berlin Wall.
“The wall is segregating and isolating the people in the
West Bank who have to go through security checks if they want to
pass,” said Husseini.
Last month, the United Nations General Assembly approved a
non-legally binding resolution demanding that Israel halt
construction of the wall that Israeli officials said keeps out
suicide bombers.
A day later, Israeli officials said the fence would stay up.
The construction of the wall has created tension between
pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian student organizations — like
the opposing voices on the Diag yesterday — but both sides
agree that dialogue is important.
The Progressive Arab-Jewish Alliance, a newly formed student
organization, is an attempt to bring together students in dialogue,
said organizer Abby Hauslohner.
“We don’t want to polarize groups on campus,”
Hauslohner said, standing near the protest wall.
“We try to reach an understanding for both sides and bring
together people with their own perspectives.”
The group’s members are against the Israeli occupation,
but support Israel’s right to exist and advocate a
non-violent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
Hauslohner said.
Yael Granader, a Progressive Israeli Alliance member, said the
tension between groups unfortunately exists.
“It’s nice to have events that represent both sides
and with no yelling. It’s also important to emphasize our
cultures rather than just our political views,” said
Granader, an LSA junior, as she looked at the wall.
But Granader said she did not agree with the display of the
protest wall. “Unfortunately we are often reactionary on
campus instead of being proactive,” Granader said.