Palestine Awareness Week

By Genevieve Buthod It’s a very important week, in case you all haven’t heard! It’s time to get educated about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and time to take action. To kick off the week, Saint Xavier hosted a panel Monday night called, “Bound by Morals, Not by Heritage: Why Jews, Muslims and Christians Stand Against the Occupation,”. The first speaker, Awad Hamdan, National Programs Director for American Muslims for Palestine, gave an excellent overview of the details of the occupation, followed by a history of Muslim holy sites in Palestine, and why it matters that Israel is taking over these areas. The second speaker, Pauline Coffman, is a Presbyterian minister who spoke about BDS (Boycotting Divestment Sanctions) which can be an incredibly effective way to influence the corporations that fund the occupation. For instance, many people and organizations (like non-profits and schools) boycotted the construction company Caterpillar at the beginning of the Iraq war and still do because Caterpillar is a major force behind building the apartheid wall along the West Bank. The third speaker, Rabbi Weiss, was here from New York representing the National Organization of Jews Against Zionism, and he believes that Zionism is an entirely political movement that completely destroys any chance at peace in this region. He says the majority of Jews disagree with the occupation, and many Jews in the U.S. as well as Israel have fought and died to work against the colonization of Palestine. I loved that he brought up an extremely important point, that the problem is not Hamas, and it's not Hezbollah--these groups are reactions to the colonization, they are not the problem itself. The source of conflict is Israeli action. I think it's incredible that Saint Xavier hosts speakers series like these. I think we are all so lucky to be at a school that supports independent thought and organized action. This university is full of brilliant students who care about what's happening in the world around them, and we should be grateful that we live in a setting that encourages us to think for ourselves, and more importantly, do something about it! In the words of Rabbi Weiss, it is never too early to start doing something. We need to take action immediately, because each day that passes clearly costs lives. Be sure to check out the events coming up in the week, like Palestinian culture fest in the diner on Wednesday, and "Report Back from Gaza" in the fourth floor boardroom Thursday from 7-8:30 p.m. Journalists Sanah Yassin and Deanna Othman will speak about their trips to Gaza after Operation Cast Lead. Hope to see you all at an event! Later, Cougs, --Genevieve Genevieve Buthod is a freshman from St. Louis, MO. She is computer science major and a women's studies minor. Buthod is a vegan and part of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at Saint Xavier.