Students protest for Palestine

Students for the Justice of Palestine held a protest march and candle light vigil Thursday in front of the Monroe County court house. The SJP held the march and ceremony in protest of the recent Israeli incursions into Palestinian territories and to end the violence and Israeli occupation. \nAmin Hussein a Palestinian from Al-bireh, a suburb of Ramallah, explained the importance of the protest.\n"I'm participating in the protest because I hope it will show the Bloomington community that there is another side to this story of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict that concerns human rights, equal rights and Palestinian rights," said Hussein, who is a recent law graduate of IU. "In other words, it's about the housing demolitions of innocent people, executions, and that there has been a collective punishment of an entire people that have the right to self-determination. We want to share to the Bloomington community and to help them see beyond the slogans and propaganda."\nSince the Palestinian Intifada (uprising in Arabic) started in September of 1999, the American government has played a small role in pushing what is now a non-existent peace process. It was only after recent criticism of President Bush from the Arab and European nations that he demanded that Israel pull out of the Palestinian-controlled areas.\nLaw student Jessica Edgerton attended the SJP protest. \n"I believe strongly that the Palestinian people should and must have their own country," said Edgerton, who grew up in Latin America. "I think an international perspective definitely helps me have a more objective view than a lot of people get in the states -- which I consider has a very biased media.\n"Violence perpetuates violence, and there is a rampant apathy by the media that is only reporting half truths that are going on in the occupied territories. What we read in the paper is a one-sided view," she said. \nGhassan Nasr a Lebanese citizen, working on his Ph.D in computer science talked about his connection with the Palestinian people. \n"I grew up in West Beirut, which was a very diverse community and many of my friends were Palestinians," Nasr said. "My grandparents lived in Palestine, and I have heard the personal stories about lives of ordinary people who were displaced from a land that they toiled and harvested, to a people that live in refugee camps and are considered second hand citizens."\nSince 1948, the Palestinian constituent has played a role in Lebanese politics due to the influx of Palestinians seeking refuge during the Israeli War of Independence.\n"I m not as inclined to identify with the political ideologies, and I'm not qualified as a Lebanese to speak for Palestinians politically," said Nasr. "But I do feel emotionally for a people that were uprooted from their lands." \nAll protesters interviewed agreed that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. \n"This is an issue that will affect the children of Israelis and Palestinians. It is a conflict that we can't ignore as a Jewish people," said Vlad Smishkewych, who said he is an observant Jew. "We were morally taught that we have to oppose oppression and to defend innocence."\nI think that here in IU that there are more people like me that think occupation is wrong and the root of the problem." There are a growing amount of Jewish people in the United States that realize this and are trying to find a peaceful solution"