Conflict hits home for IU student in Israel

Junior Eric Goode is currently studying abroad in Be’er Sheva, Israel at Ben-Gurion University, which he said is in the “danger zone” of rockets launched by the militant organization Hamas.
 
A Hamas rocket landed 20 yards behind Goode’s dorm Wednesday in an area where he said students at the university often stop and relax at the pubs.

For the past few weeks Hamas has been targeting Israel with rockets. Israel’s recent response has been to prepare a ground invasion in Gaza in order to control Hamas and its actions against Israel.

Goode said in an e-mail interview that no buildings were destroyed, but he is still shaken about how close he was to the rockets.

“I spent a lot of time at those pubs and am shocked at how close it has come to what I have called my home,” he said in the e-mail.

Goode has also heard Israel’s red-alert test sirens, which he said give Israeli civilians 45 seconds to take cover if a rocket were to hit. He expresses the difficulties Israeli civilians face living day by day with the threat of rockets aimed at them.

“People are trying to live their lives as normally as possible,” Goode said. “But it’s been nerve-wracking.”

The Israeli-Hamas conflict has also sparked debate on IU’s campus between those who support Israel and those who believe Israel has stepped over its boundaries.

IU Hillel Center’s Rabbi Sue Shifron said she fully supports Israel in its fight with Hamas and said any other country would attack back if daily rockets were aimed at it.
“Israel has a right to protect herself,” she said. “Hamas is a terrorist organization. Any country being bombed on a daily basis has a right to protect herself.”

Goode said he also supports Israel in its fight against Hamas. He has read news reports that say Israeli forces warn Gaza civilians to get out of harm’s way, but Hamas encourages them to stay, according to the English language Israeli news site ynetnews.com, which also reports that Hamas has been hijacking humanitarian aid trucks going into Gaza.

Indianapolis Chapter of Amnesty International member Tom Benner said Hamas isn’t the only side guilty of human rights violations. He said both Israeli forces and Hamas forces are to blame, with more than 500 Palestinians dead because of the conflict.
Benner added the U.S. response to the conflict favors Israel.

“The government seems to be more concerned about Israeli losses than Palestinian losses,” he said. “All civilians need to be treated equally.”

Members of Indiana Students Against War have held small vigils every day this week, opposing the Israeli invasion, which will continue at 5 p.m. Friday. ISAW vigil organizer James Cooper said although Hamas has violated human rights, Israel is also a guilty party.

ISAW will also hold a protest starting at noon Saturday at the Bloomington courthouse square. Cooper said it’s necessary for U.S. citizens to oppose the occupation in Gaza, stating the American government is just as guilty as the Israeli government.
Cooper said claims of Hamas using Palestinians as human shields is “propaganda,” and Israel is purposely targeting civilians.

“Gaza is a modern-day Warsaw ghetto,” he said. “(Palestinians) have nowhere to go when the violence starts.”

ISAW member and IU graduate student Judah Schept said as a Jewish-American, he believes it is his obligation to oppose the Israeli invasion in Gaza.

“Jewish people feel inclined to support Israel,” he said. “But that’s counterintuitive to what Judaism teaches and what being human is.”

As far as peace is concerned, Cooper said he hopes the violence will end, but he said Israel has to be held accountable for its actions.

“There cannot be peace without justice,” he said.

Goode said he doubts if peace will come soon, but he will still pray for it.

“There’s a saying in Hebrew,” he said. “It means, ‘It will be alright, and look toward the future.’”