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The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Course.
by Wali Warsame
Section Editor
Since early October of this year, protests have erupted internationally, even here in Columbus, Ohio, over the conflict in the middle east between Israel and Palestine.
Although this dispute has gained a tremendous amount of public notice as of recently, the conflict can be traced back to the mid-20th century. Members of the Jewish community fleeing Europe to establish a homeland free of persecution during and after WWII landed in a territory that was then known to be inhabited by a majority Arab-Muslim population. Since then, a few wars have taken place over the territory such as the Six-Day War in 1967 where the Israeli people gained control over land once controlled by Palestinians.
The conflict currently taking place is over the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the remaining land controlled by Palestinians. The land has been under Israeli occupation after the Islamist militant group, Hamas, gained control in 2001.
Protests, marches, and other forms of public demonstrations have broken out globally after Israel launched attacks onto the Gaza Strip killing and injuring tens of thousands of Palestinians in response to the killing of over a thousand Israelis, as well as 240 taken hostage by Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Here In Columbus
The Columbus-based organization, PLM-JUST (Palestinian Liberation Movement - Justice Unity & Social Transformation) and participants previously attended a City Council meeting on Oct. 7 to share their concerns over the Councils silence over the issue.
Monday, Nov. 13, a crowd of organizers from PLM-JUST, families, students, and concerned members of Columbus returned to City Council after their previous attendance in Oct., at 4:30pm EST to further pressure council members into calling for a ceasefire.
While masks were handed out and demonstrators prepared to enter the building for the Columbus CIty Councils 5:00pm EST meeting, two council members, Lourdes Barroso de Padilla and Shayla D. Favor, released a joint statement in support of a ceasefire. Although demonstrators were pleased with the news, they pushed for a statement from the entire council.
As speakers from the organization recited the statement for everyone attending the demonstration, red paint was passed around for participants to lather on the palms of their hands. “We’re gonna put red paint on our hands to signify the blood that is on our countries hands [...] we’re not using this as a tool of vandalism,” a member of PLM-JUST said to participants, further urging them to be wary of getting paint on the establishment.
Several members of the organization spoke in front of Columbus City Council members, as well as President Hardin, during the City Council meeting. Dala, the founder of PLM-JUST, returned to the podium to share her thoughts to the council members,
“Yesterday, I turned twenty-two, and twenty-one will forever be etched in my brain as the first time I mourned. Twenty-one will mark my disillusionment with the world and my transition to adulthood. I've never lost anybody before and now I've lost twelve thousand members of my family. [...] I am no longer willing to tread lightly, and I am no longer in fear of taking up space because first and foremost this space is mine as a voting member of this community.”
As demonstrators in the audience stood from their seats, red covered palms raised, repeating chants such as “Shannon, Shannon, got blood on your hands”, City Council President Shannon Hardin along with other council members fled the chambers. After a persistence in pressure from the audience as well as threats of arrest from law enforcement at the scene, President returned to chambers, promising a statement in support of ceasefire in the coming week.
On Nov. 17, President Hardin released a statement titled An open letter to the Columbus community on the Israel-Hammas Conflict. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators who have awaited for President Hardin’s promised statement in support of a ceasefire are disappointed, believing it does not line up with what was promised.
President Hardin addressed the possible local effects of the conflict and those protesting, stating that the City Council is “horrified to hear of calls to deport students and ban free speech” and that he is discussing with the Police Chief and Ohio State leadership on “how we keep everyone safe.” In addition, President Hardin notes that “Israel has the right to defend itself” and that the Council respects and prays for a “two-way ceasefire.”
Washington D.C.
On the following day, Tuesday, Nov. 14, tens of thousands gathered at the National Mall in Washington D.C. for The March for Israel. Politicians, students, and families of hostages spoke at the march, as well as the Israeli President and Ambassador Isaac Herzog and Michael Herzog.
On Nov. 4th, tens of thousands had also gathered in Washington for the pro-Palestinian march, which PLM-JUST and other members of Columbus had attended.
The 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, also spoke at the march on Tuesday where he declared that the demands for a ceasefire are “outrages” as the crowd chanted “no ceasefire” in response. The newly elected Speaker had also mentioned that he is “convinced that a lot of these college students that are engaging in these protests do not understand that [call for a ceasefire] is an explicit call for the extermination of Israel.”
To further explore Speaker Mike Johnson's statement, I spoke with Yasmine Skalli, a college student advocating for a ceasefire as a member of PLM-JUST who shared her thoughts in front of the City Council, and asked for her perspective on this,
“I think this statement shows the true colors of Zionist ideology. The idea that to call for an end to the murder and indiscriminate bombing of children is ‘outrageous’ shows how Zionism and the state of Israel rely on violent tactics of killing and displacement in order to exist.”
Global Testimony
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), during Oct. 7 to 27, around 86% of protests globally were in support of Palestine, with less than 15% in support of Israels occupation, and a minority of demonstrations calling for peace and a ceasefire while having no explicit stance with pro-Israel or pro-Palestine. While civilians continue to convey their judgment on the conflict in large and small numbers, various governments from different countries continue to share their position whether it opposes where the majority of their citizens stand or not.
Countries like Indonesia have been open with their support for Palestine as President Joko Widodo urged President Joe Biden to “do more to stop the atrocities in Gaza” during a meeting in the Oval Office last week.
The United States’ support of Israel dates back to 1948, when former President Harry Truman recognized Israel as an independent state with his statement of recognition, making the U.S. the first country to recognize Israel as independent. On Oct. 9, 2023, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom released a joint statement with the United States sharing their support for Israel and its “efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities,” as well as their “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas.”
On Oct. 26, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting earlier this month to discuss the situation where Chinas Ambassador, Zhang Jun, called on both sides to commit to ending the conflict. UK Ambassador, Barbara Woodward, pushes for a two-State solution that will “save lives.'' Russian ambassador, Nebenzia, emphasized on the importance of aid and humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Many countries have yet to speak on the issue.
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