Every year, Students for Justice in Palestine reserve Bruin Plaza for their Palestine Awareness Week — a week when they erect a temporary, six-paneled wall complete with drawings and multicolor, bulletpoint displays in order to inform passersby about the Palestinian plight. This Palestine Awareness Week spans Nov. 4-7. SJP students and supporters crowd Bruin Plaza from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., passing out informational pamphlets and speaking about their opinions to those interested enough to stop and ask.
One panel, depicting an explosion above the roofs of a town, says, “the Israeli government controls the borders, airspace, and shorelines of the Gaza Strip. They also decide which people, goods, and mechanics to ship in and out of the strip.” Other panels sport a dove in a bulletproof vest, and display pictures of refugees leaving a camp of tents behind.
Aside from the wall, SJP hosts a number of events to further proliferate their message. The agenda is as follows:
Monday (11/4):
- Day: Mock Apartheid Wall (Bruin Plaza, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
- Night: “Dismantling Walls with Words” featuring poetry with Tahani Salah and Palestine 101 with Lila Sharif (Moore 100/Doors open at 6 p.m., event starts at 6:30 p.m.)
Tuesday (11/5):
- Day: Mock Apartheid Wall and Palestinian Cultural Celebration (Bruin Plaza, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
- Dabke, calligraphy, poetry, and more
Wednesday (11/6):
- Day: “Confronting Borders and Oppression: SJP and IDEAS” (Wilson Plaza, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
- Night: “Portraits of Denial and Desire” — An Exhibition on Palestinian Refugees with John Halaka (Perloff 102/Doors open at 6 p.m., event starts at 6:30 p.m.)
Thursday (11/7):
- Day: Mock Apartheid Wall (Bruin Plaza, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
- Night: “The Time is NOW: A Moral Case for Divestment” (CS 76/Doors open at 6 p.m., event starts at 6:30 p.m.)
In response to SJP’s weeklong criticism of Israel, Bruins for Israel encouraged members to meet on Bruinwalk and pass out brochures explaining Israel’s attitude towards the Palestinian people in more favorable terms. BFI members printed and distributed blue shirts with the words “Bruins for Israel, Bruins for Peace” on the front, and “Peace” written in English, Arabic, and Hebrew on the back. Students wore these (or other pro-Israel shirts) in order to identify themselves as sources of further information on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and as supporters of Israel. BFI organized their shirts and activism on Bruinwalk in order to “educate the campus on Israel, share [their] personal connection to Israel, shed light on current peace talks between Israel and the [Palestinian Authority] facilitated by US Secretary of State John Kerry, and highlight that divestment is a hindrance to peace efforts,delegitimizes Israel’s right to self determination, and hurts both Israelis and Palestinians,” according to a BFI e-mail blast.
BFI also organized a Bruin Democrats and Bruin Republicans debate on America’s relations to Syria, Iran, and Israel. The event was held on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. in Royce 164.
Both BFI’s and SJP’s events strive to educate students about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, albeit from different sides.
