By: Thomas De Clerck, Second-Year IIC Student
For decades, a grueling conflict has been taking place between the Israeli Jews and the Palestinian Arabs in the Middle East. Throughout human history this horrific war has survived numerous attempts toward peace and tranquility, continuing to desecrate the Holy Land and preventing the people and this unique region of the world from achieving true beauty.
The gravest tragedy of this age-old conflict is the immense burden which has been handed down from generation to generation. Children on both sides are being robbed of a chance to grow up in a state of peace, and instead are relentlessly called upon by their families to continue carrying the hatred of their forefathers—often having to make the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. Israeli soldiers between the ages of 16 and 18 are put in situations where they are ordered to treat human beings with severe disrespect, humiliation, and disgust. Equally, Palestinian youth of all ages are raised by their communities to "honorably" avenge the deaths of their fallen relatives by any means possible with stones, makeshift bombs, and martyrdom.
This past Tuesday evening (November 3rd, 2009), students attending the University of Denver (DU) gathered together in solidarity in front of the Newman Center on campus to protest the City of Denver’s and the University's seemingly biased stance in support of Israel and the continued human rights violations that continue to take place against Palestinians. These violations include restricting Palestinians’ freedom of movement throughout their land with military checkpoints, the systematic destruction of Palestinian homes and communities like in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, as well as arbitrary imprisonment under the accusation of being "terrorists."
The Chancellor of the University, Robert Coombe states that the invitation to have the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat come speak at DU was an act designed to encourage open communication and meaningful discussion about the struggles that continue to challenge the city of Jerusalem and the State of Israel. If someone calls for dialogue, equal representation from both sides must be invited to the discussion table.
Further, it was disappointing to see that Mayor Barkat’s conversation was more of a one-way sermon rather than a candid forum of discourse. Questions (selected well in advance to the event) were asked of the Mayor with very-little-to-no direct feedback from members of the audience.
If peace is to ever find ground in the Holy Land, both Israelis and Palestinians must be given an equal opportunity to voice their concerns and discuss viable solutions in order to stop the hatred and killings for the sake of the living as well as of those generations to come. There needs to be a non-violent recognition of each side’s pain in order to promote communication amongst the grieving families and work toward a future of peace.
The U.S. and other leading nations can play an important role in bringing the Palestinians and Israelis to the table, but they must not be the primary shareholders in such dialogue.
I call upon Denver Governor Bill Ritter, University Chancellor Robert Coombe, representatives of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and others concerned with the well-being of those groups living in this conflict on a daily basis to scrap their biases and honor the institutions they represent by empowering both Israelis and Palestinians to express their hopes for the future of their peoples. I yearn for the day when Israeli soldiers decide to put down their M-16s and refuse to work the checkpoints, when Palestinian youth opt to honor the struggles of their ancestors by refusing to throw stones and carry the hate of their dead in their hearts, and when nations like the United States and their institutions resolve to listen to the voices of concern of both sides, transforming their words of promise into meaningful, heartfelt actions.
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