Students for Justice in Palestine gathered on the Campus Center Lawn Sept. 30 to speak out against the recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
The gathering included chants in both English and Arabic alongside messages condemning President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and demands for the violence to end. Students spoke expressing their anger, and asked to be both heard and joined in the movement toward liberation as they told stories about how the violence has affected the lives of those close to them.
The event came days after Israel launched two attacks on Lebanese soil, in which they triggered pagers and walkie talkies used by the militant group Hezbollah to explode throughout the country and launched an airstrike on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Between the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly, justifying the attacks and claiming their targets were Hezbollah.
“We’re not at war with you. We’re at war with Hezbollah, which has hijacked your country and threatens to destroy ours. As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice. Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Netanyahu said.
Zeina Alkurdi spoke at the event about her fear for family in Lebanon, and described her mother waking her up to say that family members were killed in Israeli bombings. “In no world should these bombings even happen to begin with,” she said.
She also called for resistance. “The people united will never be defeated. You hurt one of us, you hurt all of us. Let this be a stark reminder and a promise to the entity that this is just the beginning; that we will never be silent,” Alkurdi said.
Another speaker, Balsam Mafhoum, called out UMass Boston administration, accusing them of suppressing the pro-Palestine movement. “The administration that sits inside that campus, that works day after day to shut us down, to shrink this movement — but we will not let them,” she said.
SJP Jewish Liaison Max Herschman told the story of a friend in Lebanon and the horrors she’s witnessed during the conflict. “We aren’t just an estimation of casualties,” he said, reading a message. “We are alive and confused and hurting.”
Herschman also described feelings of guilt as a Jewish man. “I stand here in front of you as a Jewish man, who is so ashamed of the state that does this in my name, that does this and says that this is what Judaism is about. That it’s about destruction, death, murder and apartheid,” he said. “That’s not what Judaism is. It’s about restoring humanity and justice.”
The event was the organization’s second of the semester, with approximately 25 people in attendance. SJP will also hold a week of action this week to mark the one year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent bombing of Gaza, with events beginning at 1 p.m. Monday on the Campus Center Terrace.
Other upcoming events include a fundraiser for the Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance Wednesday from 2-4 p.m., a study-in and art build Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a “Visions of a Free Palestine” art display Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The study-in and art build will take place at the Campus Center Lower Level Lounge.
