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Arizona Jewish Post "At Rallies, UA Activists Split over
Israel" By Sean McLachlan |
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A few yards away about 25 more people, mostly students, also gathered in support of peace. They were members of the Alliance for Peace and Justice in the Middle East (APJME). This UA student group recently formed out of concern that the presentation of Jewish issues has been one-sided. "In the past, these types of rallies have not just been pro-Israel, which we agree with, but also anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab," said Noah Haiduc-Dale, president of APJME. The division is a sign of the increasing frustration of some Jewish liberals who say that the more established Jewish organizations do not represent their views. "It's not a very well-seen division because the voice that allies itself with the Israeli left is not as well heard as their numbers might indicate," said Haiduc-Dale. While there were few angry words between the two crowds, the signs they carried showed their disagreement. In the AIA rally, which partially funded by UA Hillel Foundation, people held up placards stating "Why do Palestinians say no to peace?" and "Compromise don't terrorize!" At the counter rally, there were signs proclaiming "For Israel For Palestine For Peace" and "We condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians." Although both sides advocate a peaceful end to the fighting, they are sharply divided on the solution. Rachel Levy, a UA student who joined the Arizona Israel Alliance rally, said that it was up to the Palestinians to make peace. "I'm very pro-peace, but right now I think you have to deal with the reality you're given. You have to have no violence before you can have peace," she said. Members of the APJME counter rally, however, stressed that Israel is also guilty of violence. Carrie Brown, APJME vice president, said that there are human rights violations on both sides, and that both Israel and Palestine must strive for a peaceful solution. The group's views were highlighted by pins worn by many APJME members featuring Israeli and Palestinian flags with the words "Justice-Peace-Life." While the APJME members stood to one side, a series of speakers at the larger rally discussed supporting Israel and bringing an end to the violence. "We will talk peace, but we will fight terrorism. The real tragedy of the Palestinian people is their leadership," said Neil Lazarus, a Middle East analyst who travels the country speaking on Israel advocacy. "Who was it who left the negotiating table?" he asked. "The Arabs!" several people in the crowd shouted. Mark Parades, press attaché for the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles, was also critical of Arafat and the Palestinian Authority, which he called a "terrorist cabal of criminals." "Israel has twice made peace with countries who have renounced violence. Arafat has never made peace with anyone. The peace Arafat wants is a piece of Haifa and a piece of Jerusalem, and he's not going to get it," he said. UA Judaic Studies Director Edward Wright praised the university for allowing a venue in which all views could be heard. "I look around at the signs and I'm glad to see that people are debating in an open and free environment," he said. "Both sides of this conflict have goals that are just and both sides have actions that are unjust." At the end of the rally, Wright took the stage again and pointed to the two groups of activists. "The people holding those signs and the people holding those signs should talk," he urged. Few people did, but the debate on campus is far from over. On Monday, Nov. 18, APJME invited Joshua Ruebner, co-founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel, to speak on the current crisis and the prospects for peace. The speech was followed by a discussion that included representatives from the AIA. Ruebner's group allies itself with various liberal and feminist organizations in Israel such as the Peace Block and Bet Shalom and states that any agreement must follow the principles of human rights and international law. Ruebner said that the larger American Jewish organizations don't want the Jewish left to be heard. In an interview last week, he said there's an ideological split on university campuses, and was critical of "traditional Zionist organizations that work hand in glove with Hillel and AIPAC to promote an extreme right-wing agenda." "They would like to drown us out," he said. "It really saddens me that the American Jewish establishment has lurched so far to the right." The main rally was sponsored by the Arizona Israel Alliance, the Israel Center, Arizona College Republicans, Students of Democracy, the UA Hillel Foundation, Chabad of Tucson, and the Young Democrats of Arizona. The counter rally was sponsored by the Alliance for Peace and Justice in the Middle East. Ruebner's visited was sponsored by APJME, the Islamic Center of Tucson, UA Judaic Studies Department, UA Hillel Foundation, Arizona Israel Alliance, UA Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and UA Near Eastern Studies Department. |