Yesterday, February 25, the Wesleyan student participants in the Open Shuhada Street Campaign set up a blockade on the main stairs of Usdan to mark the 16th anniversary of the shutting down of Shuhada Street to Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron. We wish to thank all those who participated in the demonstration by taking alternative routes to the Usdan dining area. Shutting down one of the main thoroughfares of our campus was meant to symbolize the situation in Hebron today. Shuhada Street used to be the principal street for Palestinians in Hebron, home to residents, businesses and a very active marketplace. Today, because the street runs through Hebron’s Jewish settlement, Shuhada Street is closed to Palestinian movement and is a ghost town which only Israelis and tourists are allowed to access. People have sprayed hate graffiti across the closed Palestinian shops and those Palestinians still living on the street have to enter and exit their houses by climbing over neighbors’ roofs.
We have chosen to participate in this international event because we believe that direct action is an important form of education. By experiencing limits to our mobility for a couple of hours, we hope to generate more empathy for the Palestinians in Hebron for whom this situation is an everyday reality. We also are proud to stand in solidarity with people all over the world today who are participating in this action in the name of justice for all peoples of Israel/Palestine and the entire world. We encourage everyone to consider signing the Open Shuhada Street Campaign petition to the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, asking Shuhada Street to be re-opened to Palestinian movement and commerce. The petition can be found online at “http://www.petitiononline.com/shuhada/petition.html.”
The students of the Open Shuhada Street campaign wish to bring Wesleyan’s attention to the situation in Hebron to illustrate the ongoing violations of international law and human rights abuses that prevent a peaceful existence in Hebron for Palestinians and Israelis. Because of Hebron’s importance as a holy city for Muslims and Jews, Hebron will play a crucial role in any future peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine and we do not believe the status quo will, or should be accepted for the rights and livelihood of Palestinians or Israelis. Hebron is also representative of larger injustices suffered by Palestinians in the West Bank including Israeli settlements, policies of institutionalized separation across the entire West bank, the lack of freedom of movement of Palestinians, random arrests and detentions of Palestinians, and the occupation at large.
In doing this action, we hoped to spark continued dialogue around Israel/Palestine at Wesleyan. We see this demonstration fitting into a larger campus conversation in which we encourage students of all backgrounds, opinions, and voices to participate. The Open Shuhada Street was one of several events and discussions related to Israel/Palestine that occurred at Wesleyan this week. If you were unable to participate, or unaware of the dialogue that is stirring at Wesleyan, tune in, and don’t miss the next opportunity to learn and speak your voice about the situation in Palestine/Israel. Now is the time to create positive change in the Middle East, and we all have a role to play. Peace and justice cannot wait-engage your voice today.
Signed,
The Student Participants in the Open Shuhada Street Campaign
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