On October 11th, the Evergreen State College President’s office widely sent a statement titled “Engaging one another in Empathy and Civility.” Beldaan Solidarity Network, which is built up of Evergreen students, finds this statement gravely concerning, and we reject and condemn Evergreen’s attempt to remain apolitical on this issue in this critical time despite its public stances on indigenous sovereignty and stewardship and previously to the anti-zionist movement.
John Carmichael and Dexter Gordan proclaim Evergreen State College to be “a place where diverse perspectives are valued.” In contrast, neither John Carmichael nor Dexter Gordan have ever made an effort to provide a statement or offer the same wellness aid to the community during the countless invasions on Al Aqsa mosque, the incursion on Jenin refugee camp, the violent rampage from settlers in Huwara and Turmus Ayya, the Martyrdom of Shireen Abu Akleh and Khadar Adnan, or in this matter at any point in time when Gaza has been under attack by air and ground strikes.
Throughout this statement, John Carmichael and Dexter Gordon consistently refer to ambiguous “difficult challenges” and “vexing problems” surrounding discourse about the resistance. With no additional context given to the Evergreen community, this statement comes across as a way for the administration to avoid Evergreen’s culpability in maintaining a Zionist status quo on our campus.
To “facilitate open dialogue”, the college would need to confront the goals set forth by the Jewish Studies Zionist Network, which has been adopted by the only Jewish studies professor on campus. Some of these goals include “affirming that Zionism is a legitimate movement for the national self-determination of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland” and arguing that any critique of israel as a settler colonial and apartheid state is “agenda-driven, manipulative, and therefore antithetical to promoting knowledge and scholarship in our communities.”
These goals come as a direct dismissal of Palestinian history and voices as they seek to reach international awareness and condemnation of the enforced military occupation of their ancestral homelands and genocide of Palestinian people and culture. “Engaging one another with empathy and civility” becomes impossible if the parameters of community discourse are centered on normalizing the Israeli settler colonial project, even to the extent of refusing to acknowledge the name of the nation being occupied, Palestine.
Palestine solidarity matters to the Evergreen Community! Rachel Corrie, martyred student of Evergreen, was a pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement member who joined this organization to protect Palestinian families and homes from ruin. On March 16th, 2003, at age 23, Rachel was tragically murdered by an Israeli Defense Force Caterpillar Inc. bulldozer, crushing her to death in southern Gaza. The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project, located in downtown Olympia, is a tribute to Corrie and Palestinian solidarity and collaborates with local, national, and worldwide Palestine activists through art.
The Palestinian death toll from the last several days in Gaza has surpassed 2329 people, and headlines are now declaring, “Israel has already dropped more bombs on Gaza in 6 days than the US dropped on Afghanistan in 1 year.” (Mondoweiss) Gaza is a 25-mile strip densely populated holding 2.5 million Palestinian refugees hostage; half of the population are children that are ages 14 and younger. The Palestinian people in Gaza have lived under this blockade since 2007, globally acknowledged as the “World’s Largest Open Air Prison.” With the israeli government’s control of Rafah Border Crossing (between Egypt and the Gaza Strip), seaports, and air space, there is no way in and out for Palestinians through land, air, and sea. Time after time, the Israeli government has bombed UN schools, hospitals, universities, and worship sites and has continued not to be held accountable for their crimes. The effects of the blockade have been and are currently depriving Palestinians of access to basic human needs such as clean water, electricity, medical supplies, and food. Despite the Israeli government having complete control of the border, they’ve given the people in Gaza 24 hours to evacuate before unceasing bombing attacks. “There are no shelters or bunkers or safe routes or safe zones in Gaza,” Omar Ghraieb, a resident in Gaza, told CBS News. “So it’s not like you can sit down and plan with your family on how to leave.”
Throughout history, students and young people have been at the forefront of movements advocating for human rights. This issue is not isolated to our campus; Palestinian students and those who stand with them are targeted to be harassed, doxxed and threatened. We call on the leaders of Evergreen to support our right to speak while we witness the atrocities happening to the Palestinian people. This is not a time for neutrality or skirting accountability. This is a time to stand for a free and liberated Palestine.
Beldaan Solidarity Network Mission Statement
Beldaan is an Olympia-Tacoma community led by students from the Palestinian diaspora displaced onto Medicine Creek Treaty land, committed to the right of Palestinians to return to the Blad (The Country).
Beldaan’s mission is to inform the community through political education, cultural resistance, and solidarity with people’s struggles.
We condemn the normalization of Zionism and support the right of Palestinians to resist by any means necessary.
Beldaan seeks to condemn and reject classism, Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism, imperialism, colonialism, ableism, bigotry, and discrimination in any form. Beldaan is an explicitly anti-Zionist network that rejects appropriating Palestinian autonomy and culture.
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