Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

33° Evanston, IL
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Advertisement
Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our email newsletter in your inbox.



Advertisement

Advertisement

Israel’s occupation is not warranted, speaker says

While the sounds of gunfire and explosions roar in the Middle East, a more subdued debate took place in Annenberg Hall on Tuesday night.

Ali Abunimah, an Arab activists and social policy researcher at the University of Chicago, detailed his passionate views about various issues pertaining to the violence in the Middle East before a standing-room-only crowd of about 100 people. He also answered questions during the event organized by Arab Cultural Society and co-sponsored by Muslim-cultural Students Association.

Abunimah discussed the Israeli control of Palestinian lands, possible land-for-peace settlements and the U.S. involvement during the conflict. Although he said he respected the differing Israeli view, Abunimah condemned the current war that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has led.

“Absolutely I agree that suicide bombers are horrific,” Abunimah said. “However, suicide bombings do not justify occupation.”

He also blamed Israel for participating in policies that he termed as “basically ethnic cleansing.”

“We have been witnessing an all-out attack on Palestine,” he said. “Israel has deliberately targeted Palestinian civilians for cold-blooded murder.”

In addition to talking about the current war, Abunimah discussed the occupation of Palestinian lands by the Israeli people since 1967. He compared the occupation to what would happen if Israel practiced the same policies in Illinois.

“Let’s say I control all highways to major neighboring cities, security at airports, the airspace, water supplies, external borders and buffer zones,” he said. “Other than that, the state is yours.”

In response to questions about the difficulty of containing suicide bombers, Abunimah asked, “How can one demand of occupied people to provide security for its occupiers?”

Michael Mishkin, rabbi and executive director of the Fiedler Hillel Center, said he appreciated Abunimah’s explanations, but disagreed.

“I felt that while some of his points were true, much of what he presented was slanted and didn’t present the situation in its full context,” Mishkin said.

Saki Anarwala, Education ’99, said he found Abunimah’s views to be credible because he backed them up using various sources.

“It was a very fair and balanced approach to the Middle East conflict,” Anarwala said.

More to Discover
Activate Search
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
Israel’s occupation is not warranted, speaker says