Dozens of conference attendees gathered Sunday morning for a final panel discussion focused on the status of the pro-Palestinian movement and the need to mobilize support for the cause.
Brian Avery, an activist who was shot in the face by an Israeli soldier while volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement in Jenin, criticized the U.S. media for what he called a “campaign of misinformation by Zionist-leaning news editors.” Avery, who lives in Chapel Hill, urged audience members to engage in grassroots efforts in Palestine to end “the destruction of a culture.” He also encouraged them to pressure the U.S. government to stop giving military aid and resources to Israel.
“In a lot of ways, the real battle is not in Palestine, the real battle is in America,” Avery said. “That’s where the power is, that’s where the money is.”
Rania Masri, a human rights activist and fellow at the Institute for Southern Studies in Durham, echoed Avery’s statements. She argued that a shift in U.S. policy toward Israel can only follow a change in the public’s level of activism—which she said requires the advocacy efforts of independent political voices and progressive media outlets.
Rauda Morcos, a Palestinian poet and founder of Aswat, a Palestinian gay women’s group, spoke on Palestinian women’s rights—which she said she views as a struggle within the larger national liberation movement. She called for activists to support Palestinian women—as well as Palestinian homosexuals—in conjunction with the non-violent push for broader sociopolitical change.
“I want to stand up for my rights,” Morcos said. “I don’t want to fight fights with fights.”
During the question and answer session, most audience members expressed support for the panelists’ positions. But Rick Dorfman, a Jewish law student from Rutgers University, asked why the PSM has not condemned suicide terrorism. Masri—who admitted she could not speak for the Movement—personally condemned the killing of civilians, but told Dorfman he was asking the wrong question.
“If Palestinians were using the kind of weaponry that the Israeli government is using or the U.S. government is using... would there have been this uproar?” Masri asked. “Before we ask for the condemnation of the retaliatory actions against occupation, we should begin our statement by condemning the cause.”
When Dorfman tried to re-approach the microphone, audience members quickly covered it with their hands and pulled him away.
After the panel, Dorfman expressed dissatisfaction with the panel and Masri’s answer as he stood behind metal barriers amid a small cadre of chanting protesters.
“She said it was a retaliatory action—it was the result of Israel having bigger bombs or something—which is a wishy-washy way of saying that it’s okay for Palestinians to go blow up people in cafes and buses and hotels,” Dorfman said. “It’s morally reprehensible that they cannot come out and say that blowing up innocent people [is wrong].”
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