(Students attend a prayer service for Palestinians. Source- The Spectator)
“The last few days have been tragic, so many lives lost,” began Mohammed Mourtaja, ’25, in a speech at the event. Mourtaja’s family lives in Palestine. “Me and other Palestinians on this campus have already lost friends, family members. The situation in Gaza cannot be described in words. But what I find most astonishing, and what I think all of us agree upon, is that we cannot dehumanize people. We cannot dehumanize Palestinians.”
“But for the past 16 years,” Mourtaja continued, “ Palestinians in Gaza have not been recognized for their suffering.”
Describing recent Israeli airstrikes on the Gazan side of the Egyptian border, Mourtaja told the crowd, “I want you all to know this: Israel on live TV is violating international law. No matter what you think, no matter what you believe, that is not acceptable.”
Mourtaja said that “the coverage of the US media in the last five days has been terrible, to the fact that they are literally calling for genocide of Palestinians.”
He also criticized the Iraq War, saying that “so many American lives were lost…in a war that was based on a lie. So many Iraqis also lost their lives.”
Returning to the present conflict, Mourtaja said, “I want to recognize the lives lost on both sides. My father taught me that when I see the number of people killed on screen, that’s not true, because their value is much more bigger. They have memories, stories: Israelis, but also Palestianians. Recognizing Palestinian lives is important.”
Mourtaja concluded, “Please, as we recognize the lost lives on the Israeli side, you must do the same for Palestinians who have been suffering of [sic] occupation since 1967.”
Gabby Kogan, ‘24, the president of W&L Hillel, attended the Palestinian prayer service.
“I appreciated the part about lost lives on both sides,” Kogan told The Spectator. “It appeared to be a little bit more political in nature, but like I told Mohammed after the service, I offered my condolences and hope that we can keep it civil on campus.”
Minutes after Kogan talked with The Spectator, a student (who refused to identify herself) approached Kogan and called her and two others “disgusting for what you said to Mohammed.”
The Spectator has not received any reports of further confrontation on campus, though several W&L Public Safety officers attended each activity.