As violence continues to unfold between Israel and Palestine, students across the United States are voicing their opinions on the ongoing conflict. This week, New Mexico State University students with differing opinions on the ongoing war voiced their concerns at a pro-Palestine rally. The rally was sponsored by Students for Socialism, a student-run organization.
Undergraduate student Daniel Jaouni, who was born in Jordan and spent his early childhood in Palestine, said that rallying is a way to give his own perspective on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“It’s spreading awareness and our voices, you know, it’s the same thing as Black Lives Matter had to do, the same thing that the LGBT movement had to do,” he said. “It’s the same thing here. You know, it’s going to be a hard journey the whole way through.”
Jaouni said he does not condone the actions of Hamas, but he said Palestinians have a right to free themselves from oppression.
“Palestinians are not anti-Semitic. Palestinians are for the Jewish people. They are with the Christian people,” he said. “We don’t want a one-state solution. It is too far from that. We want a two-state solution. Both populations deserve to live in their homes, in their land.”
Itay Feigin is an Israeli foreign exchange student at the university, whose hometown is 30 miles from the Gaza Strip. He said the pro-Palestine protesters have been misled by disinformation.
“We have people from all over the world with different opinions. We should respect everyone,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who you support. I'm sure there are plenty of pro-Palestine [voices] that are that are against manslaughter and against such massacre in the raping and beheading of innocents.”
Itay said that he supports Israel’s military, as he believes they are responding in accordance with actions committed by Hamas.
“When [Hamas] start launching rockets, it always reaches my city. One time [rockets] fell less than a mile from my house. The reality that we've had that we live in is a reality that is incomprehensible for people here. And it should be. The reality that we live in is absolutely insane. No person in this world should experience something like that,” he said. “I have friends who are dying, you know, in the army. Just insane reality.”
But pro-Palestine student protesters had a different perspective, including Zaynab Badawy, who said she condemns the killing of innocents, but that Palestinians have a right to fight for their land.
“Israel is a colonizer, they are an occupation, and international laws state that if you have an occupier coming into your land, and invading your land, and trying to take your land from you, you are allowed to retaliate,” she said.
Zaynab said she would like to see U.S. lawmakers condemn Israel’s actions, and ultimately stop funding to their military.
Boe Buckley is a third-generation American and a descendant of Holocaust survivors. He said he was at the rally to provide a dissenting voice and push back on misinformation.
“Anyone who has any social media has seen the atrocities committed by Hamas. Hamas is not Palestine. The Palestinian people are not Hamas. I'm not saying all Palestinians are bad and that they're all terrorists, just like not all Americans are bad. You know, every country is going to have its bad apples, but they need to be dealt with accordingly,” he said. “I've seen dozens and dozens of dozens of photos of children that have either been killed or taken hostage back to Gaza. And I'm wondering, when am I going to see my family next on those sheets? I understand the situation is dire in Gaza and it's been like that for a long time. But Israelis are victims, too. This is a two-way conflict”
When KRWG reached out to NMSU regarding the protest, a university spokesperson said they did not have a statement regarding the gathering, and that those who participated were exercising their First Amendment rights.
