Letter: As a Palestinian-American, I saw hope at the University of Utah encampment
It was great to see the reincarnation of the spirit of freedom in our young students.
- (Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A protester waves a Palestinian flag as law enforcement order them to disperse during the pro-Palestine rally at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 29, 2024.
- By Mustafa Khader | The Public Forum
- | May 2, 2024, 8:09 a.m.
As a member of Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land, I attended the encampment at the University of Utah this past Monday in support of our students.
As a Palestinian-American, my first assumption was that the encampment was erected in opposition to what is taking place in Gaza. However, as soon as I arrived and saw the crowd that had gathered and how diverse it was religiously, ethnically and nationality-wise, I was taken back to the sixties and the civil rights movement; the seventies and the protests against the war in Vietnam; and the eighties and the encampments against South African apartheid. It was great to see the reincarnation of the spirit of freedom in our young students. Speakers at the U. encampment represented the environmental movement, the LGBTQIA+ movement, women’s rights, religiously devout students and dabkeh dancers, among others. These students are the living conscience of our society. They are the lanterns of light who are taking us forward to a better future and reigniting the desire for freedom, justice and equality for all. They are indeed a refreshing hope. In their faces, I could see that they are not only there for Gaza. They are there for humanity as one race, to enjoy this globe in peace and fairness, thriving on our similarities and aspirations and not on our fears and differences.
I would like to end with a passage from Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet” as a message to our leaders who refuse to listen to the voice of reason:
Your children are not your children,
They are the sons and daughters of
Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
And He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
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May 1, 2024 | KUER 90.1
In their words: What the Free Palestine protests say to two Utahns
Listen to Interview on KUER or here:
By Elaine Clark, Pamela McCall, Caroline Ballard
As pro-Palestine student protests continue to spread across — and roil — university campuses nationwide, Utah has seen two different experiences. The first protest at the University of Utah grew heated as police moved in, tore down tents in President’s Circle and arrested 19. The second night was quieter.
While it started in front of the university’s administrative building with calls for the liberation of Palestine and demands that the school divest from its financial ties to Israel, the protest moved across town to the county jail. A student organizer was arrested early on into Tuesday night’s rally. University Police say it stemmed from actions that happened the night before.
Organizers called for the crowd to head to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, where they continued the vigil. They demanded the release of their colleague. The evening wrapped up early, because, as Deja Gaston with the Party for Socialism and Liberation explained, they want to keep momentum for their cause without burning people out.
Protests like these have repercussions beyond the events themselves. The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish organization working against antisemitism and other forms of hatred, said antisemitic incidents in Utah were up 327% in 2023.
But given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, these demonstrations also give Palestinians hope that people are paying attention.
KUER asked two Utahns with very different views what they thought about the demonstrations.
The first is Mustafa Khader, a businessman who has lived in Sandy, Utah, for two decades. The 73-year-old Palestinian was at the county jail protest Tuesday night. The second is Salt Laker Rabbi Moshe Nigri, director for Chabad at the University of Utah, a Jewish student congregation.
Khader and Nigri’s comments have been edited for length and clarity
What Khader hears at the protests
Of course, I’m in support of such an event. It’s very, very pleasing to know that the generations that are coming out now are the younger Americans — taking back what is the American value. Freedom. I mean, that’s totally American. And it’s not a privilege of the white people. So, they’re coming out for the rest of us. I’m very proud of those young Americans.
I really think they’re really reaching a lot of people. And allow me to quote Gibran Kahlil Gibran, who’s an American Lebanese poet. They are the future. We are the past. We strive to be like them. We don’t try for them to be like us. Because we know our history. We messed the world up. They are trying to fix what we messed [up].
When they chant “we want Palestine to be free from the river to the sea,” we never shouted, “we want Palestine Free of Jews.” We want freedom for all. We want equality under the law for all because that’s what brings peace and not superiority of one ethnic group [over] others. And bragging about the only democracy in the Middle East [is] Israel — that’s a big hullabaloo. Because an ethnocracy is the basis of apartheid. It’s not a basis of democracy. Democracy for all does not disclude anybody.
As much as I grew up in the Muslim faith, I’m very, very [adamant] that my god is inclusive and not exclusive. He is not going to ask me to come to his heaven because I’m a Muslim. He will ask me, how do you treat my creation?
I might differ with Hamas on their ideological beliefs. But I cannot condemn Hamas for what they’re doing. They’re part of the oppressed population and an oppressed population and occupied population have by law, the right to resist, by all means possible.
We have the same right, like the Americans had when they revolted against the British. And don’t forget that our founding fathers were called terrorists by the British.
I would hate to see anybody taken up [as] hostage … under any circumstances. But I wonder why we don’t ask what we think about the 1000s of hostages that have been taken by Israel? Or these are not white enough? They’re not Judeo-Christian enough?
I want the world to know that we Palestinians thrive asking for peace for ourselves and for everybody else on Earth. The solution is not a two-state solution. The solution is a secular democratic state for everybody like it used to be before the colonizers came and messed it up.
What the protests say to Rabbi Nigri
The Chabad rabbis, we have a group together, and we always chat about how to make the Jewish students feel more safe. So I always thought to myself, “University of Utah, nothing’s going to happen over here because most of the people actually, they are polite.” When I heard it did come here, I was very, very concerned.
Free speech is important, but some things [are] not to be said and not to be chanted, as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “intifada” and all these things which literally means to kill the Jewish people living in the land of Israel. A lot of them are relatives of mine and all the Jewish students on campus. I think it’s not something that should be allowed to be said out loud and chanting and having signs, saying these hateful things towards the Jewish people.
Most of the students told me they are concerned [about] what’s going to be in the future. Till now the protest was well handled by the University of Utah.
Actually, one incident did happen with one student. He was walking by the protest and so [they] asked him, “Are you protesting with us?” And he said “No.” And so they asked him why? And he said, “because I am Jewish.” So they said, “you are Jewish, so you’re a Nazi.”He didn’t respond. He just walked away.
I tell them all the time, that fighting back with chants and protests and physically or anything like that — it’s not a good idea. The best way is unity.
We have a dark room, there are two ways of fighting the darkness. One way is fighting the darkness, which means trying to get away [from] the darkness. Another way is just turning on the lights, a candle in the darkness. And right away, automatically, the darkness is going to go away.
I tell them all the time that the Jewish students should be strong and should be proud. Jews shouldn’t give in to any of the protests. They should feel proud to be Jews and should get together. And that’s why we have Chabad on campus. It’s a safe space for all the Jewish students to be connected to the roots of Judaism.
- Chrony and Utah News Dispatch reporters share their coverage. Plus, Music May at SLFS.
Tonight’s show features the following people, organizations and/or events. Check them out and get plugged into your community!
Last night a student-led encampment in solidarity with Palestine was erected on the lawn of Presidents Circle at the University of Utah. By midnight, law enforcement had taken down the tents and push everyone out. RadioACTive spoke with Utah News Dispatch Reporter Kyle Dunphey and Vanessa Hudson, editor of the student newspaper, The Daily Utah Chronicle.
- FOLLOW: @kyle_dunphey on X
- FOLLOW: @TheChrony on X
Voices from Hebron: RadioACTive Correspondent Tamrika Khvtisiashvili is back with a conversation she Zoomed earlier today with three friends who live in Hebron, a Palestinian City in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem, Israel. She spoke with Hamed Qawasmeh, co-founder and former director of the Hebron International Resource Network; Dr. Mohammed Tamimi, director of the Language & Translation Center at Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron; and Tamimi’s daughter, Munia, to find out what life is like since Israel retaliated in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7th. Listen to the Interview Here.
- May 4: Screening of H2: The Occupation Lab, 2:30 p.m. at The City Library, Tessman Auditorium, 210 E. 400 S., SLC. Event by Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land: “Join us as we take a look at Palestine, beyond Gaza, and consider how the occupation playbook was actually written in the streets of Hebron, West Bank. Q&A from Hebron via Zoom to follow screening.” FREE.
Guests’ views, thoughts, or opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the board, staff, or members of Listeners’ Community Radio of Utah, KRCL 90.9fm. Questions, comments, or suggestions for the show? Email radioactive@krcl.org. Tonight’s RadioACTive team included:
- Executive Producer, Host: Lara Jones
- Community Co-Host: Tamrika Khvtisiashvili
- Production Assistant: Connor Estes
Palestinian advocates build memorial in Salt Lake City for Palestinians killed in Israel-Hamas war
- By Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted – April 25, 2024 at 8:39 p.m.
- Aziz Abuzayed, at the Salt Lake City-County Building on Thursday, is helping organize installation of a memorial to Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. (Tim Vandenack, KSL.com
SALT LAKE CITY — As fighting in Gaza trudges on and pro-Palestinian students ratchet up protests on college campuses around the United States, Aziz Abuzayed is doing what he can to push the Palestinian cause in Utah.
The Palestinian-turned-Utahn grew up in Gaza and has lost several relatives, including a great aunt, to Israeli violence in the nation’s ongoing war with Hamas extremists in Gaza. Now, he’s helping spearhead creation of a memorial at the Salt Lake City-County Building, to remember them and the other 30,000-plus Palestinians who have died in the violence. It opens to the public on Sunday.
“I hope this will be the place where I can get a sense of community support from other people who will be there,” Abuzayed said Thursday as installation of the memorial began. He’s been involved in other pro-Palestinian demonstrations around Salt Lake City since the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7 with the attack by Hamas extremists from Gaza on neighboring Israel.
A ceremony marking the opening of the Palestinian memorial, permitted by Salt Lake City officials, is set for Sunday at 5 p.m., and it’ll remain open on the west side of Washington Square, adjacent to the city-county building, through May 12. Among the contingent aiding in the effort was Jamie Hewsser, of Salt Lake City, who isn’t Palestinian but supports the Palestinian cause.
- A Palestinian flag hangs at the Salt Lake City-County building, where a memorial to Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is taking shape in Salt Lake City Thursday. (Photo: Tim Vandenack, KSL.com)
“They need all the support they can get,” Hewsser said, citing Christian principles of loving everybody and standing up for those in need. “To me this is so huge to show our humanity and what we believe as people.”
The memorial will feature numerous red, green, white and black Palestinian flags, as well as photos of people purportedly killed at the hands of Israeli forces (as compiled on murderedbyisrael.com). Some of the deaths occurred after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas while many occurred before, according to the website, which was created by a group of anonymous “concerned citizens” from Australia. Abuzayed said he plans to put photos of his family members who were killed in the ongoing conflict at the memorial, and he invites others to do so, as well.
The Associated Press, citing the Gaza Health Ministry, reported Sunday that 34,000 Palestinians have died in the Israel-Hamas war — most of them women and children. Around 1,200 Israelis died at the hands of Hamas when members of the group raided southern Israel, taking around 250 hostages. At least 130 or so of them are still unaccounted for, and perhaps 30 believed to be dead, the news agency said.
Israeli officials have touted the war as an effort to defend the nation against Hamas, decreed a foreign terrorist organization in 1997 by the U.S. State Department. Hamas has been the “de facto governing body” in Gaza since 2007, after it ousted the Palestinian Authority, according to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Palestinian advocates like Abuzayed, though, paint the Israeli response as overkill, impacting people who have nothing to do with Hamas. His family members who died in a bombardment by Israel weren’t affiliated with Hamas, same as him. “I am the one of the biggest dissidents of Hamas. I don’t like Hamas,” he said.
He charges that Israel is attempting to maximize civilian casualties in its attacks on Gaza in a bid to turn the Palestinian public against Hamas. The memorial — an initiative of the Palestinian Solidarity Forum of Utah, Arabs for Utah and Utah for a Ceasefire — is meant to acknowledge their suffering.
“This is like a small thing to honor those lives that have been lost,” said Yahia Rashed, of Orem, who is of Palestinian descent and was on hand during Thursday’s setup efforts. “For me, it’s heartbreaking.”
- The contingent helps Thursday with installation of a memorial to Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza sorts through images of people purportedly killed at the hands of Israeli forces. (Photo: Tim Vandenack, KSL.com)
Last week, the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, released a report saying incidents of antisemitism across the United States spiked between Oct. 7 and the end of 2023. The organization counted 8,873 antisemitic incidents in 2023, up from 3,968 in 2022, with 5,204 of last year’s incidents reported after Oct. 7. Likewise, leaders of the Utah Jewish community say they have seen a big jump in antisemitic incidents in the state.
Abuzayed acknowledged concerns in the Jewish community about antisemitism, which underscores the country’s heavy response to the Hamas incursion. “I understand they have legitimate fears,” he said.
However, he questioned the show of might by Israeli forces. “They have the power. They have the F-16s. Who is opposing them?” Abuzayed said.
Moreover, he questions whether Israeli military efforts will stop Hamas. “I don’t think Hamas is even affected by this,” he said.
The issue has spilled into the Salt Lake City Council chambers. The body in February adopted a resolution urging U.S. and international leaders to broker a “lasting peace” in the Israel-Hamas war. Pro-Palestinian advocates had pushed city officials to approve a measure calling for a ceasefire in Israeli military action.
Confronting Christian Zionism Webinar
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April 14, 2024 Salt Lake Tribune Public Forum
Hamas and Israel: If you both truly believe that Allah/God wishes the world to live in peace and harmony, then make it happen
Let us please claw back what humanity remains to be salvaged.
By Wayne Belka | The Public Forum| April 14, 2024
The Israeli/Palestine war is causing me sadness, frustration and anger that is consuming me.
The Israeli/Palestine, Hamas/IDF, Muslim/Jewish war (call it what you will, it is after all a religious war) is not a new or recent conflict. The blood feuds that are behind this current conflict have been ongoing through the arc of time.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all cut from the same cloth. The basic tenets of these religions are all laudable ones of their faiths, including loving one’s neighbor. Why then is there such angst and vitriol between them? It seems that morality and love take a back seat to righteous dogma and indignation.
The “leaders” of both parties in this conflict have lost their way in the morass of conflict and their decisions are no longer grounded in their faiths. The media are complicit in causing my current mental state. Both the journalistic media and social media are prodding me to make a choice, to take a stand, to take a side. I cannot in good conscience choose to condone anything that is going on now.
Which of the explicit horrors that have taken place do I side with? Do I say that Hamas was justified in committing the atrocities of the killing of 1,410 Israelis because Palestinians have been living in unconscionable conditions? No! Do I say that Benjamin Netanyahu’s IDF is justified in leveling the whole of Gaza and killing over 33,000 Palestinians because of those Israelis killed and hostages taken? No!
What I can condone is the world community’s call to end this madness now. Let us please claw back what humanity remains to be salvaged.
Hamas, Netanyahu: Quit using the hostages as chattel to further your ends. Both parties have been reduced to a Machiavellian maxim that “the end justifies the means.” This maxim has been the underpinning of too many totalitarian, failed regimes in the past. The hostages are not goods to be bartered, they are fellow human beings. What is one Israeli hostage worth? One Palestinian? 10, 100, 1000? How many Palestinians must die before retribution is achieved — 35,000, 40,000?
Sadly, neither Israel, nor Hamas can win in the end. There will only be losers on both sides. Hamas will lose countless numbers of its citizenry, its cities turned to rubble. Israel will not defeat Hamas because it is not just terrorists with guns, but an ideology couched in an unreachable ideal that will exist long after the bombing has stopped. More importantly to Israel is that it will lose its position of acceptance and respect in the world community, and also, gains it has achieved towards peace with the Muslim world because of its handling of this crisis.
Hamas, Israel: If you both truly believe that Allah/God wishes the world to live in peace and harmony, then make it happen.
Wayne Belka, Midvale
By Wayne Belka | The Public Forum
April 4, 2024 – The Salt Lake Tribune Public Forum
When history is written, will you be able to say: ‘I knew there was a genocide in Gaza and I spoke out against it.’?
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
By Meherban Khalsa | The Public Forum | April 4, 2024
Today I speak for those who have no voice: the people of Gaza who feel that the world has forgotten them. I speak for the mother clutching the shoes of her toddler who was buried that day. I speak for the grandmother who has spent her entire life in a refugee camp — keys to her parents’ house still in her pocket. I speak for the father who prays that his family will live through tonight’s bombing. I speak for two million other human beings who live in the most densely populated, open air prison on earth.
As I write, the United Nations has just passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has already announced it will not abide by the resolution. Over 32,000 people and counting have been murdered in Gaza in five months of relentless bombardment paid for by our tax dollars.
Utahns, when the history books are written, will you be able to say to your grandchildren, “I knew there was a genocide in Gaza and I spoke out against it.”?
Join us: Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land (www.ujphl.org) and Palestinian Solidarity Association of Utah (@palestiniansolidarityut).
Meherban Khalsa, Salt Lake City
February 25, 2024 – The Salt Lake Tribune Public Forum
Piece about Mideast ‘conflict’ needs a strong dose of reality
By Meherban Khalsa | The Public Forum | February 25, 2024
Like Kent P. Jackson (“Taking sides in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Jan. 28), it is my sincerest wish that all people in Israel and the occupied territories of Palestine might someday live in peace, security, and prosperity.
However, Jackson writes a “feel good” piece that needs a strong dose of reality added. He refers to this as a “conflict” between Israelis and Palestinians. But, under Israeli law, Palestinians have limited rights or no rights at all. That’s called occupation.
Israel calls itself a democratic state but, under Israeli law, most Palestinians have no representation and cannot vote. That’s called apartheid.
Some religions refer to Israel as the “promised land.” Since 1948, Palestinians have been systematically driven from their historic homeland: their houses demolished, their farms confiscated, and their freedom of movement restricted. That’s called colonialism.
Israel claims “self-defense” in its Gaza campaign that has killed 25,000 people, mostly women and children. Increasingly, the world calls that genocide.
This is a conflict over whether Israel/ Palestine will be a land of liberty, equality, and fraternity or whether it will sustain its subjugation and oppression of the Palestinian people.
Meherban Khalsa
Salt Lake City
November 9, 2023 – The Salt Lake Tribune Public Forum
Yes, ‘the first casualty of war is truth.’ Out-of-control violence against Palestinians in Gaza exemplifies that.
By Frances ReMillard | The Public Forum | Nov. 9, 2023, 6:00 a.m.
I first visited Israeli occupied Palestine in 2003 — traveling with a group called “Interfaith Peace Builders.”
It was before the U.S. and Israel had decided to designate the Palestinian political party, Hamas, a “terrorist organization.” And so we had the privilege of visiting elected Hamas officials in Jericho. They were dads, teachers and neighbors. They were welcoming and gracious, and wanted to hear about us — what brought us to visit Palestine. They shared with us a bit about their work helping support the Palestinians living under Israel’s brutal home-demolishing, land and resource grabbing occupation.
It was some months later that the U.S. and Israel decided to designate Hamas a terrorist organization — not because Hamas was some sort of violent outside terrorist group which had embedded itself in Palestinian society. Hamas was designated terrorists because Hamas dares to believe that the Palestinian people, like all other peoples on the earth, have the right to defend themselves against Israel’s years of occupation and 17 years of isolating and encaging 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza.
There is an old saying about war, “The first casualty of war is truth.” Never could it be more true than in the current out-of-control violence against the Palestinian people struggling to survive in Israeli occupied Gaza!
November 8, 2023 – The Guardian
House votes to censure Rashida Tlaib over her criticism of Israel
Oct 15, 2023 – The Salt Lake Tribune Public Forum
There is no military solution to what’s happening in Israel and Gaza
By Gail Boling | The Public Forum | Oct. 15, 2023, 6:00 a.m.
Regarding “Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza Strip stuns Israel …” (Oct. 7), I find myself praying for clarity of vision by people of goodwill around the world to recognize that 75 years of oppression and mass displacement has not brought “peace.”
Praying also for recognition that equality under the law is a fundamental human right and cannot be written off in the interests of expediency or convenience. There are no shortcuts to justice. Praying for healing and strength to open a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission to air foundational grievances.
There is no military solution.
The Palestinians are being asked to pay the price of the Holocaust. But two wrongs will never make a right. We need to implement restorative justice mechanisms now.
Praying for insight and stamina for the work ahead. The current status quo is completely unacceptable.
October 2023 – News Nation
Utah Couple is Interviewed
October 13, 2023 – Salt Lake Tribune
Badawe Khader and Mustafa Khader: How we can help resolve the tragic cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine.
This is a leading civil rights issue of our time.
By Badawe Khader and Mustafa Khader | For The Salt Lake Tribune | Oct. 13, 2023, 6:00 a.m.| Updated: 3:53 p.m.
As Palestinian-Americans who have lived in Utah for many years (Badawe 51 years, Mustafa 18 years), we’d like to invite fellow Utahns to consider actions that can help resolve the current tragic cycle of violence in Israel/Palestine.
First, we mourn the loss of life on both sides of the conflict, and we decry the violence on both sides. All life is precious. Both Palestinians and Israelis have the right to life and to be safe. In addition, we believe there is no military solution to this conflict.
Second, 75 years of mass displacement, oppression and inequality under the law have not brought us any closer to peace than we were in 1948. Two-thirds of the population of Gaza are refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It’s time to try a new approach.
Third, the international community and people of goodwill all over the world can and should call for an international peace conference and a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission to address foundational grievances. Restorative justice principles should be implemented.
Fourth, civil society can and should seek out unbiased reporting on the conflict. That includes calling for an end to the constant dehumanizing of the Palestinian people in the media and by elected officials at the highest levels of U.S. government.
Fifth, our elected leaders need to hear from the grassroots that pouring gasoline on a fire does not put out a fire. U.S. blind support for Israel – which currently stands at $3.8 billion annually, plus any additional appropriations tacked on – is only feeding the military-industrial complex and does nothing to advance peace.
We believe peace work requires sitting down and talking with your adversaries. It requires airing the grievances on both sides and asking honestly what justice requires to bring closure to the suffering at hand. We note that the five “final status issues” that were left on the table when the long-abandoned peace talks were underway are: Palestinian refugees, Jerusalem, the settlements, borders and security. We can add to that the siege of Gaza. Civil society institutions can educate themselves on these issues and put forward suggestions for resolution.
[Read more: Utahns share their perspectives on what’s happening in Israel and Palestine]
Without addressing the core of the problem, violence will erupt again, even if Hamas is completely eradicated. Hamas is a byproduct of the underlying conflict. The silent majority needs to speak up to ensure that the above issues are addressed comprehensively to prevent the ongoing cycle of violence.
This is a leading civil rights issue of our time. Americans believe in the principle of equality under the law, yet this principle has never been applied towards Palestinians in the 75 years since the state of Israel was created in 1948. Isn’t it time people stood up for human rights for all?
Badawe Khader (retired) and Mustafa Khader (an independent businessman) were both born in the Old City of Jerusalem. They both volunteer with Utahns for a Just Peace in Holy Land, which is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has been in existence for 20 years and seeks to foster education on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and possible resolution of it.
October 13, 2023 – Public Square Magazine
The Human Voices from Israel and Palestine
Amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s turmoil, what resounds in the hearts of those directly affected? Personal narratives from Gaza to Jerusalem unveil a tapestry of despair, hope, and unwavering resilience in the face of adversity.
October 10, 2023 – KSL Interviews Utah Couple
October 8, 2023 – CNN Global Public Square (GPS)
Do we have the right to struggle for freedom?
Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouti tells Fareed that Hamas’s attack on Israel was a response to the Israeli occupation, and that Palestinians, like Ukrainians, are fighting for their freedom.
June 1, 2023 – Haaretz
How U.S. Conservatives Use BDS Boycott Laws to Target Other Progressive Causes
A Jewish dermatologist from North Carolina was invited to speak to a group of medical students at the University of Arkansas earlier this year. After delivering his address, Dr. Steven Feldman went to the state-funded university’s website in order to collect his $500 honorarium – only to find that in order to submit the online form and collect his payment, he needed to check a box stating that he pledged not to boycott the State of Israel.
This peculiar condition stemmed from an Arkansas law stipulating that public entities are not allowed to contract with or invest in companies and individuals that boycott Israel.
As online Jewish publication The Forward reported, Feldman was perplexed by the university’s demand. Being a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights and particularly the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel (BDS), he could not agree in good conscience to such a requirement.
Moreover, regardless of his political views, why should his payment be conditioned upon what he decides to do with his money? He is currently considering suing the state of Arkansas for infringing on his right to free speech.
May 26, 2023 – Washington Post
Israeli agents conducted raid against militants in civilian area, killing a child
This exclusive front-page story exposes an Israeli assassination squad and their “collateral damage” — the unacknowledged killing of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy on his bicycle. The Washington Post team “synchronized 15 videos and reviewed dozens more from March 16, including CCTV footage from surrounding businesses. The Post also spoke to nine witnesses and obtained testimonies from four others to produce a 3D reconstruction of the raid.”
This is what real reporting looks like.
April 20, 2023 – Letter to Sierra Club
Dear Director Ben Jealous,
I have long admired your work for human rights in the past and hope you will
take action to end the Sierra Club trips to Israel. I have been a member of Sierra
Club for years and would love to renew my membership, but I cannot in good
conscience do so while your organization leads greenwashing expeditions to a
racist, apartheid country guilty of appalling human rights abuse. I was
disappointed you chose to lead “nature outing” to Israel this March.
As we celebrate Earth Day, it is important to recognize that environmental
protection is inseparable from issues of social justice and human rights. The Israeli
government’s policies of land theft, segregation, and occupation have resulted in
the displacement and oppression of the Palestinian people. Israeli settler
colonialism has also had severe environmental consequences, including the
destruction of natural resources and the displacement of indigenous
communities.
By taking “nature outings” to Israel, Sierra Club condones these human rights
violations and ignores the interconnectedness of social justice and environmental
protection. I urge you to cancel your trips to Israel and stand against
environmental colonialism.
I am looking forward to rejoining your organization when these trips to Israel are
no longer offered. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE includes Palestine.
Sincerely,
Mary Miller
(former Sierra Club member #49830902)
April 15, 2023 – Deseret News Opinion
Perspective: A radical solution for peace in the Middle East
The Israel-Palestine conflict is neither ancient nor intractable. When it comes to solutions, there is another way.
By Carrie Skarda, published in the Deseret News, Apr 15, 2023, 9:00pm MDT
April 1, 2023 – Letter to Utah Senator Lee’s Staff
Dear Mr. Axson,
We are a group of concerned citizens writing to ask you to use your influence to help Senator Mike Lee understand the plight of the Palestinian people living under Israel’s prolonged military occupation.
Our Concern
Our primary concern is the severity of Palestinian daily living conditions. We are troubled that the United States government does not stand up to Israel when Israel violates the rights of these people. Our tax dollars are funding these injustices without any of the same oversight it would require of other countries receiving U.S. aid.
Your Recent Visit
In light of your recent visit to Israel & the Occupied West Bank as a representative for Senator Lee’s staff, we would like to ask for your help. We need leaders in congress, like Senator Lee, who will speak out against Israel’s misuse of U.S. tax dollars to carry out human rights abuses against the Palestinian people including, but limited to, the following.
Human Rights Violations
- Israel exploits civil laws in ways that result in confiscation of Palestinian property, demolition of Palestinian homes and obstruction of Palestinian economic growth.
- Israel confiscates Palestinian water (in violation of the Johnston Agreement, brokered by the U.S. in the 1950’s) and then sells limited amounts of that water back to Palestinians at exorbitant prices.
- Israel uses military force to invade Palestinian homes, destroy water tanks, playgrounds, schools and to defend illegal Jewish settlers living on Palestinian land.
- Israel has created apartheid conditions and threatens ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
- Palestinian children have no rights or legal process–children are taken away in the middle of the night & placed in solitary confinement with no adult present. They sign confessions in Hebrew which they don’t understand and plead guilty so they can go home. An offense as minor as throwing a rock, will be on their permanent record, stripping them of privileges for the rest of their life. Tried in the adult system, 98% lose their case.
Taking Action
As a concrete action, we respectfully request that Senator Lee introduce a companion bill in the Senate to Representative Betty McCollom’s H.R. 2590 “Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act.” In summary, H.R. 2590 aims to promote and protect the human rights of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation and to ensure that United States taxpayer funds are NOT used by the Government of Israel to support the military detention of Palestinian children, the unlawful seizure, appropriation, and destruction of Palestinian property and forcible transfer of civilians in the West Bank, or further annexation of Palestinian land and water in violation of international law.
Respectfully, your Utah constituents undersigned
(signed by about 20 individuals)
March 29, 2023 – Jewish Currents
Jamaal Bowman and Bernie Sanders Urge the Biden State Department to Investigate Israeli Use of US Weapons
A letter signed by eight other Democrats is congressional progressives’ most forceful response yet to Israel’s new far-right government.
REP. JAMAAL BOWMAN AND SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS are leading an effort to urge President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to investigate whether Israel is using US weapons to commit human rights abuses against Palestinians, in violation of United States law, according to a letter and e-mail sent to other members of Congress obtained by Jewish Currents. The letter was written by Bowman, while Sanders is spearheading efforts to garner support from other senators, according to Bowman’s office. The letter has so far been signed by eight additional lawmakers
March 13, 2023 – Presbyterian Mission
PC(USA) Joins Faith Letter Calling on US to Hold Israel Accountable for Human Rights Violations
Nine churches and church-based organizations issued a letter calling on Congress and the administration to end U.S. military aid to Israel ($3.8 billion per year) and to hold Israel accountable for violating Palestinians’ human rights.
December 1, 2022 – Al Jazeera Fault Lines
The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
March 20, 2022 – Letter to the Editor, Salt Lake Tribune
Letter: In light of the suffering in Ukraine, consider the ongoing suffering of Palestinians
By Frances ReMillard | The Public Forum | March 20, 2022, 6:00 a.m
As we watch, horrified by the violence in Ukraine, I hope we realize that what Ukrainians are suffering today, Palestinians have been suffering for 74 years. Unlike Ukrainians, Palestinians do not have the luxury of taking refuge. Palestinians living in Gaza are sealed in – Israel will not let them out. And in the state of Israel, in occupied East Jerusalem and in the occupied West Bank, Israel has a history of sealing out Palestinians who have left to avoid war and violence. They are not allowed to return to their homes!
Yet, recently our Congress approved $13.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine and in the same bill quietly slipped another $4.8 billion in military aid to Israel. I suggest to those readers who care — watch and share Amnesty International’s new 14 minute YouTube Tutorial on Israel’s system of apartheid. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUGICfaULXA&t=407s
Amnesty’s study finding Israel guilty of apartheid is not the first legal study to draw that conclusion. The first was completed by the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa in 2009. Nor is it the second. The second was the Russell War Crimes Tribunal Hearings on Palestine held in South Africa, 2010. The third was completed by a United Nations committee. (Our country demanded it be withdrawn.) The fourth, B’TSelem, an Israeli Human Rights organization. The fifth, Human Rights Watch. And somewhere in the list is Adalah’s study. And now we have the seventh study, this time from Amnesty International, the largest and most well recognized human rights organization in the world! Will we listen? Stop funding these crimes? Isn’t there something a bit ludicrous about fussing when Russia does it and funding when Israel does it?
December 26, 2021 – Letter to the Editor, Salt Lake Tribune
Letter: Palestinian Christians feel abandoned by Christians in America
By Warren S. Wright | The Public Forum | Dec. 26, 2021, 6:00 a.m.
Consider the irony if Jesus were born today in Bethlehem and his parents wanted to take him to Jerusalem to visit a holy site — they would likely be barred from doing so. First, they would be living in a condition of Israeli occupation, required to apply for a permit, face a 24 feet high barrier wall, and go through numerous checkpoints along the way. The same would be true for any Palestinian Christian. (Maybe in some ways not so different from 2,000 years ago, when it was the Jews who were subject to the domination of Rome).
Today, Palestinian Christians feel abandoned by Christians in America — a sort of modern day “because there was no room for them in the inn.” South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has put it clearly: “It is unconscionable that Bethlehem should be allowed to die slowly from strangulation. Bethlehem’s residents increasingly are fleeing Israel’s confining walls, and soon the city, home to the oldest Christian community in the world (from some 90% of population in 1950 to 10% in 2020) will have little left of its Christian history but the cold stones of empty churches.”
September 7, 2021 – Letter to the Editor, Salt Lake Tribune
Letter: As long as the United States permits Israeli abuses toward Palestinians, they will continue
By Barbara Taylor | The Public Forum | Sep. 7, 2021, 6:00 a.m.
On Aug. 27, President Biden hosted Israeli premier Naftalie Bennett at the White House. There were two items that Bennett insisted not be discussed. First, that his plan to continue to expand illegal settlements on Palestinian land should not be challenged. Secondly, that he has no plans to end the occupation.
Judaism is a religion of values. Respect ((Kavod), responsibility (Achrayut), fairness (Tzedek), caring (Chesed), community (Kehillah), kindness (Sever panim yafot), role modeling (Dugma Eesheet), keepers of the Earth (Shomrei Adamah) and trustworthiness (Emunah).
When applied these values mean: treat others with respect; be tolerant of differences; don’t threaten hit or hurt anyone; deal peacefully without anger, insults or disagreements; don’t take advantage of others; use self-control; forgive; help people in need; be a good neighbor; apologize and admit mistakes; support human rights; be an excellent steward of the earth.
You know where this is going. Do the six million Jews who live in Israel pretend that Palestinians are not suffering, sometimes as close as five miles away? When Israeli sons and daughters return from their IDF (Israel Defense Force) service, do their parents plead ignorance about the unjust acts that were committed? Do Israelis pretend that they don’t know about housing demolitions, nighttime home invasions, settlers uprooting Palestinian olive groves, Palestinian children being shot with live ammunition, arrests and detention of children, settlers confiscating water wells from Palestinian land.
Since Israel built a wall around the Occupied Territories and built roads that only Jews can drive on, Israelis can look the other way rather than admit that they aren’t living their values. Do they not see the hypocrisy that they do not apply their values to their cousins, the Palestinians?
As long as the United States permits these abuses and continues to give Israel $3.8 billion a year with no conditions, the abuses will continue. We must insist Israel live up to its Jewish values and end the cycle of violence. We must insist that our leaders make ending the occupation a priority.
Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land 
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