At a Bryn Mawr College sit-in and rally calling for an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza, spokespersons for Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace refused to express an opinion as to whether or not the October 7 Hamas attacks against Israel were justified. The protest was held simultaneously and in the same building where the Bryn Mawr College Board of Trustees was meeting.
Before the sit-in and rally, the students issued a statement with their “Collective Grievances and Action Items.” The statement described Israel as a “colonial force in Palestine since 1948.”
Among their demands, the students called for The Study Abroad Office to “cut ties with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Rothberg International School and the University of Haifa.” According to their statement, “The Hebrew University and The University of Haifa have both hosted the Havatzalot program, which is a competitive 3 year military intelligence officer training and double major in an intelligence related subject. This program makes Arab students at the universities feel unsafe, because the military students wear their IDF uniforms and carry their weapons on campus.The Hebrew University Medical School supports the Israeli military through research and development, and by maintaining partnerships with these Israeli universities, the College is directly complicit in the colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.”
The statement also called for “an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.” When questioned whether they only meant what some refer to as “The Occupied Territories, or if they meant all of Palestine “From the River to the Sea” (after a long pause), the students acknowledged that they considered all of Israel to be occupied land.
Wow, what could have been an interesting interview about student activism in our area turned quickly into harrassment and accusations placed upon three students. Proud of the young woman on the right for her honesty in saying you make her uncomfortable. Seems clear that the intent of this interview was not shared with the students, and was made to catch them in a „”gotcha” moment rather than a interest interview as intended. Why quiz these students on high profile BDS companies when you could ask about the demands and activist work they are doing?
They eagerly volunteered to be interviewed by a “local news source.” We did not discuss beforehand what they wanted to talk about and what they didn’t want to talk about. One would think that students at a such prestigous institution should be capable of defending every aspect of their ideology, and should not expect to be fed only softball questions.
Thank you for stating this. Anyone who is screaming for a ceasefire without expressing outrage against the horrific atrocities Hamas and many, many Palestinians committed has no voice that’s worth listening to. How about scream for the hostages to be released as well? Hamas and many Palestinians have the red, red blood of slaughtered children on their hands. They spread through the air the horrified screams young girls who were brutally raped— these women/girls many could have been co-students at Haverford. Then they were mutilated alive and then shot and mutilated again. They sent this energy out into our world. Killing is fine when it’s Hamas doing it right? That’s resistance? That’s a disgusting ,immoral position to take.