A pro-Palestinian rally at Binghamton University with over 100 students drew a counter protest from Jewish students on Thursday, leading to a tense afternoon on campus where students on both sides of the conflict shared personal stories and heartfelt messages.
The protest, of course, came in the wake of the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Israel's response to the deadly Hamas terror attacks from over the weekend.
Two students said the past week has been a nightmare.
What You Need To Know
- The protest came in the wake of the Israeli airstrikes over Gaza, a response to the deadly Hamas attacks
- In response to the rally, about another hundred students stood in support of Israel, with a silent protest
- Binghamton University has the highest Jewish population among SUNY schools and one of the highest of all public schools in the nation
“In recent events, Palestinian civilian lives have been lost, as well as Israeli civilian lives have been lost. And while we'd like to mourn on behalf of the deaths of all the civilians, we have heard a lot of one-sided narratives, or one-sided mournings,” said Mousa Tous, a senior at Binghamton University.
In response to the rally, about another 100 students squared off in support of Israel with a silent protest. Many of them were mourning the loss of family and friends. While they supported the group’s right to protest, some took issue with the message.
"I don't personally understand how anyone could ever justify that. And what we did here today was show that we were rising above the politics, above the complexities," said Saul Hakim, a junior at Binghamton University.
They were two sides of an issue, thousands of miles away from it, but one that couldn't help but feel personal, especially when lives were being lost.
"With our signs and our silence, we simply brought it home that this was not about politics. This was about terror. The terror that so many innocent people experience. That the horrible videos and pictures that we've all seen," said Hakim.
"We do not condone violence against innocent civilians, and we never have. The point of this rally today is to rally support around the idea of Palestinian liberation and to support the idea that Palestinian lives, especially, have value on this campus and around the world," said Tous.
Binghamton University has the highest Jewish population among SUNY schools and one of the highest of all public schools in the nation.
