Administrators at the University of Chicago sent the following message to select students on campus following Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip:
The Campus and Student Life division of the Office of International Affairs messaged a number of students on campus, including myself, urging us to take advantage of the University’s resources and support networks during these trying times. As the death toll tops four dozen, with so many children and one pregnant woman being among the fatalities, families in the Gaza Strip are calling for an end to Israel’s invasion and ongoing blockade of the territory.
From a campus body that can best be defined with one word — apathetic — and an administration that, quite frankly, hasn’t ever and probably won’t ever present the Palestinian narrative the way it does when Ehud Olmert and Michael Oren are free to speak on the work they’ve been doing to force Palestinians into submission (see: Operation Cast Lead, 2008-9), this is an unexpected and exceptionally thoughtful move that I’m sure many will appreciate. [Read more...]
It’s as if each walkout takes it one step further and no matter how much they prepare for it, Israel’s propagandists just can’t seem to stop what I see as a national campus awakening.
Like Father, Like Son: Quotes from Ariel Sharon’s son as Israel invades Gaza
Gilad Sharon, son of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, wrote a piece for the Jerusalem Post this Sunday that gives new weight to phrase “like father, like son”. It’s genocidal talk, really. Here are some quotes. Emphasis and comments are mine.
“This must not be allowed to end as did Operation Cast Lead: We bomb them, they fire missiles at us, and then a cease-fire, followed by “showers” – namely sporadic missile fire and isolated incidents along the fence. Life under such a rain of death is no life at all, and we cannot allow ourselves to become resigned to it.”
Operation Cast Lead wasn’t good enough for Gilad. The deaths of over 1,400 Palestinians, including 330 children, in 22 days didn’t have as much of an effect as he’d hoped. The “rain of death” isn’t acceptable for Israelis but it’s perfectly reasonable for Palestinians. We’ll see why in the following quotes.
“To accomplish this, you need to achieve what the other side can’t bear, can’t live with, and our initial bombing campaign isn’t it.”
Since Wednesday, at least 79 Palestinians have been confirmed dead, including dozens of children. One of the more recent air strikes left twelve members of the Al-Dalou family dead. Their home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City was leveled, taking with it five women, four children, and a grandfather. Israel also admitted to targeting and hitting Gaza’s news media tower, injuring eight journalists and, in the process, violating Protocol 1, Article 47 of the Geneva Convention. Gilad wants Israel to up the ante. [Read more...]