On Friday afternoon, papier-m?ch? Israeli tanks and jets with the slogan “Brought to you by the American Taxpayer”circled the statue of John Carroll in front of the Healy building, while others, posing as Israeli soldiers, attacked other protest participants simulating Palestinian civilians.
Around Healy Circle, approximately 60 to 70 students, professors and community members held signs with slogans such as “Hoyas 4 a Free Palestine,”“Israeli Occupation is Terrorism,”“Our Taxes Fund Israeli Apartheid” and “Freeze Terrorist Assets, End Aid to Israel.”
Over a loudspeaker came chants of “Free, free Palestine Now” and “1-2-3-4, we don’t want your bloody war, 5-6-7-8, stop the killing, stop the hate.”
The demonstration, which was not sponsored by any one specific organization, aimed to protest Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, and specifically, a speech sponsored by the Georgetown Israel Alliance which was taking place inside of Healy.
According to Salomon Kalach (CAS ‘03), president of the Georgetown Israel Alliance, the speakers were Aviva Raz-Schechter, counselor for Public Affairs at the Israeli Embassy, and three Israelis in their early 20s who had previously served in the Israeli Defense Forces. The speakers addressed the more personal aspects of what it is like to currently live in Israel and what it is like to serve in the IDF, he said.
Press was not allowed into the speech because of space constraints and logistical concerns on the part of the University, Kalach said.
Protest-organizer Kate McDonald (CAS ‘04) said that the protest was organized on the basis of human rights. “Everybody involved in this protest believes in human rights,” McDonald said. “There is no reason for the Palestinians to suffer as they are. The University has made an attempt to be balanced, but this was too far.”
As the idea of a protest took shape, McDonald and YALA President Jumana Salem (SFS ‘03) contacted Georgetown University professor Mark Lance for assistance in organizing the protest. Professor Lance is a member of Stop U.S. Aid to Israel Now, an organization active in Washington, D.C.
“The University should not prohibit groups from bringing people onto campus. Student groups should be able to bring anyone, but student groups should not bring individuals on campus who are going to defend war criminals,” Lance said.
Contacts with organizations such as SUSTAIN brought members of the larger community onto campus to participate in the protest.
One non-student protester, David Barrows said that it was the responsibility of all Americans to stand up for the rights of Palestinians.
“It’s our country, and the United States is making Israel’s actions possible,”Barrows said. “Israel is doing it with Apache helicopters and with direct aid from the U.S. government, therefore it is the responsibility of all Americans to speak out for Palestinians and to show support for the students who are here, who are standing up against apathy. I’m helping to support that.”
Boris Epshteyn (SFS ‘04) a student waiting to attend the GIA speech said that he felt the protest was “dividing the campus unnecessarily. Instead of a call for peace, it is a call for friction.”
Kalach said that he also was not in favor of the protest. “[The protest] somehow bothered me, because when they had their protest on Wednesday, we let them voice their opinion without a counter-protest,”said Kalach, referring to a similar anti-Israel demonstration organized by YALA on April 11.
A lone counter-protester, Neri Zilber (SFS ‘04), made statements with a bullhorn from the steps of the Healy building. “I’m Israeli; I have friends who are serving; they live in terror. What [the protesters] don’t tell you here is that there is a reason [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon was elected, and that reason is that there is a terrorist bombing everyday,”he said.
Vice President for Communications Julie Green Bataille said that the demonstrations embodied the exchange of dialogue that the University encourages. “The University is not taking a stand on any issue. The event is sponsored by student groups who have every right to express their views,”Bataille said. “I think it is very clear that students at Georgetown are interested in and engaged about current events. As an educational institution, Georgetown strives to foster dialogue and discussion on many issues, and this is an example of that.”
Officers from the Department of Public Safety and Metropolitan Police Department were on hand at the protest.
Sergeant Hendrix of MPD said that they were told to come and “monitor the demonstration”to ensure that it remained peaceful.
