WHAT ABOUT THE PEACEFUL PROTESTS?
(In response to Page Gerrick’s Nov. 8 column, “Palestinian Bid to UN is smokescreen.”)
Ms. Gerrick is correct on a few points, but there are many fallacies in her article.
UNESCO did grant membership to Palestine.
Unfortunately, after UNESCO granted Palestine membership, the U.S. immediately announced that they will not give UNESCO $60 million pledged to them in November.
Additionally, while there are extremists in many countries across the world, including the U.S., the vast majority of Palestinian resistance is nonviolent.
My cousin was shot in the leg last summer by Israeli security for nonviolent resistance against the occupation and a friend of mine, an international activist, was attacked and beaten by Israeli security for attending a nonviolent protest in the West Bank.
I’d like to particularly note that this nonviolent resistance I mention is unarmed resistance.
In May 2011, unarmed refugees were attempting to cross the borders between Syria and the Occupied Golan Heights, internationally recognized as occupied, and were killed and injured by Israeli fire although they were not crossing borders into the “State of Israel.”
Many Palestinians are peaceful people who would like to live on their rightfully owned land without facing violence from the Israeli army or settlers.
The separation wall around Palestinian villages is deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice, which states that this wall contributed to the “departure of Palestinian populations from certain areas,” among many other internationally recognized reasons.
Perhaps the court was using lighter terms rather than mentioning ethnic cleansing.
Shifa Alkhatib
Law Student
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