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War between Hamas and Israel
Harvard, Stanford, Yale, at several prestigious universities in the United States, debates between supporters of both camps are sometimes heated.
Published on October 23, 2023 11:50 am
Reading time: 1 min
A man wrapped in an Israeli flag walks through a pro-Palestinian rally in Seattle, Washington state, USA, on October 12, 2023. (CHIN HEI LEUNG / MAXPPP)
At Georgetown University in Washington, the United States capital, some students are criticizing the administration for its official stance on the war between Israel and Hamas. The situation of the Palestinians is not taken into account, said Vishnu. The 22-year-old history student sits at lunch in front of a wall on which the Star of David is attached next to a message to the university president: “Your silence is violence.” “He made a statement about Israel about a week ago, but not yet about Gaza “, explains the student. “I think it would be better if he did one on Gaza. “I’m more pro-Israel, but it’s a problem,” Vishnu said.
The polarization of positions
What poses a problem for the students is an email from management that regrets the Israeli victims without acknowledging those on the Palestinian side. In protest, several demonstrations took place on campus in front of the university president’s office. Maureen, a 19-year-old business student who identifies as pro-Palestine, attended. “There is really a polarization here, she regrets. People who are extremely pro-Israel and contrarian, supporters of Palestine. In my opinion, the university should put out a much clearer press release without saying “it’s shocking, while remaining neutral.”
“There are many departments in the school, some put up posters, others tear them down.”
Maureen, a student at Georgetown University
at franceinfo
Steve, an international relations student, stays away from all of this. “There are a lot of leaflets and posters,” he said, pointing to the Palestinian flags and appeals for donations to Israel plastered on the building in front of him. Not only Georgetown is affected, there were also protests and rallies in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where Steve’s brother studies. In Washington, several Georgetown professors wrote to the president of the university, founded in 1789, to criticize him for his silence on the suffering of Palestinians. Meanwhile, two police cars are parked on the paths between the campus lawns.
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