Recently, the attack on October 7th by Hamas has once again drawn the attention of the world towards the Israel-Palestine conflict. I wanted to share some of my experiences on the topic and surrounding discussions as an international student studying in the U.S.

Before the attack on October 7th, I had heard very little about the occupation of Israel and about the people of Palestine. When I was back in my home country, it was rarely mentioned in the media, and only occasionally on topics relating to human rights. After coming to the U.S., the first encounter I had on campus on this topic was with the Students for Justice in Palestine organization. They put up walls that painted information about the Israeli apartheid system, the loss of land for Palestine, and an explanation of Zionism. During that discussion, most students who were curious about the topic shared peaceful discussions, and even when opposition was presented by other student organizations, no accusations of anti-Semitism were made and the objectors talked about “being a Zionist and supporting Palestinian rights”, to a degree acknowledging the right of Palestinian people.

Things escalated quickly after the October 7th attack. As soon as the news headlines started talking about Palestine, Hamas, and terrorism, supporting Palestine suddenly became unacceptable and anti-Semitic. What surprised me is that while usually recent events are brought up in classrooms and everyday interactions, many students and teachers seemed to be hesitant to even bring up the topic. I sensed an uneasy feeling surrounding the topic but was not certain where such feelings came from.

During that weekend and throughout the next week, people were putting up posters of Israeli hostages labeled “KIDNAPPED” on the top. These posters were put up on wire poles and utility boxes in the student community next to campus, where most students live and dine. I never got a good chance to look at the posters in detail, as they were put up during the night but rarely stayed for over a day as students who disagreed tore down the posters as a form of protest. The putting up and tearing down of posters was repeated several times, and in the end, there were no posters left on the main streets in the student community.

The first discussion on this topic happened in the following week, I was walking around campus early in the morning and noticed that a table was set up with the flag of Israel in front of the library. In the afternoon when I got back again, the tabling was over but there was still a small discussion going on. Two students were talking about the acts of Israel before the incident, and a few others were criticizing Hamas for violence against civilians. The discussion was rather peaceful, and while those supporting Israel focused on the recent actions (October 7th), the students who opposed them talked more about the continuous suffering of the Palestinian people. They were able to agree that violence against civilians should not be tolerated, and the discussion concluded with handshakes.

Later that week a vigil for the people of Palestine was held on campus. I went to the vigil with a facemask. There were at least several hundred people at the event and multiple speakers shared their own stories and poems that they wrote about the violent acts of Israel. It was peaceful and I did not see anyone that was causing a disturbance. I left before the event concluded but returned after the main event was over only to find multiple groups still having discussions. I checked the next morning and many left flowers and candles on the plaza as well.

Despite the overall peaceful conversations and voices presenting both sides, what concerned me the most was a few who used this discussion to spread hate. At the first discussion, one student came up midway through our conversation and tuned in as supporting Israel. However, after clearing his stance the student started making Islamophobic comments, claiming that all problems in the Middle East were caused by Muslims. Neither side agreed with him, but it made me realize that there are people who use the conflict as a cover to justify discrimination. Ultimately, we should always remain cautious of “supporting” voices of either side that do not care about the people of Palestine or Israel: some only use this as an excuse to hate, accusing others of anti-Semitic or Zionist prejudice while in fact practicing discrimination. I think the positive image portrayed of Zionists by certain groups makes it even more complicated concerning what people mean when they claim to be “a Zionist” and whether some use this title to spread Islamophobic ideas and to attempt to build consensus of hate.

Recently, the attack on October 7th by Hamas has once again drawn the attention of the world towards the Israel-Palestine conflict. I wanted to share some of my experiences on the topic and surrounding discussions as an international student studying in the U.S.

Before the attack on October 7th, I had heard very little about the occupation of Israel and about the people of Palestine. When I was back in my home country, it was rarely mentioned in the media, and only occasionally on topics relating to human rights. After coming to the U.S., the first encounter I had on campus on this topic was with the Students for Justice in Palestine organization. They put up walls that painted information about the Israeli apartheid system, the loss of land for Palestine, and an explanation of Zionism. During that discussion, most students who were curious about the topic shared peaceful discussions, and even when opposition was presented by other student organizations, no accusations of anti-Semitism were made and the objectors talked about “being a Zionist and supporting Palestinian rights”, to a degree acknowledging the right of Palestinian people.

Things escalated quickly after the October 7th attack. As soon as the news headlines started talking about Palestine, Hamas, and terrorism, supporting Palestine suddenly became unacceptable and anti-Semitic. What surprised me is that while usually recent events are brought up in classrooms and everyday interactions, many students and teachers seemed to be hesitant to even bring up the topic. I sensed an uneasy feeling surrounding the topic but was not certain where such feelings came from.

During that weekend and throughout the next week, people were putting up posters of Israeli hostages labeled “KIDNAPPED” on the top. These posters were put up on wire poles and utility boxes in the student community next to campus, where most students live and dine. I never got a good chance to look at the posters in detail, as they were put up during the night but rarely stayed for over a day as students who disagreed tore down the posters as a form of protest. The putting up and tearing down of posters was repeated several times, and in the end, there were no posters left on the main streets in the student community.

The first discussion on this topic happened in the following week, I was walking around campus early in the morning and noticed that a table was set up with the flag of Israel in front of the library. In the afternoon when I got back again, the tabling was over but there was still a small discussion going on. Two students were talking about the acts of Israel before the incident, and a few others were criticizing Hamas for violence against civilians. The discussion was rather peaceful, and while those supporting Israel focused on the recent actions (October 7th), the students who opposed them talked more about the continuous suffering of the Palestinian people. They were able to agree that violence against civilians should not be tolerated, and the discussion concluded with handshakes.

Later that week a vigil for the people of Palestine was held on campus. I went to the vigil with a facemask. There were at least several hundred people at the event and multiple speakers shared their own stories and poems that they wrote about the violent acts of Israel. It was peaceful and I did not see anyone that was causing a disturbance. I left before the event concluded but returned after the main event was over only to find multiple groups still having discussions. I checked the next morning and many left flowers and candles on the plaza as well.

Despite the overall peaceful conversations and voices presenting both sides, what concerned me the most was a few who used this discussion to spread hate. At the first discussion, one student came up midway through our conversation and tuned in as supporting Israel. However, after clearing his stance the student started making Islamophobic comments, claiming that all problems in the Middle East were caused by Muslims. Neither side agreed with him, but it made me realize that there are people who use the conflict as a cover to justify discrimination. Ultimately, we should always remain cautious of “supporting” voices of either side that do not care about the people of Palestine or Israel: some only use this as an excuse to hate, accusing others of anti-Semitic or Zionist prejudice while in fact practicing discrimination. I think the positive image portrayed of Zionists by certain groups makes it even more complicated concerning what people mean when they claim to be “a Zionist” and whether some use this title to spread Islamophobic ideas and to attempt to build consensus of hate.