Students standing at Western Galilee College Remembrance Day, two years ago
Palestinian students were forced to stand to honor an Israeli memorial day ceremony at Western Galilee College in Northern Israel in April, according to new reports. Benches were watered down so the students couldn't sit, they said, and the doors and gates were locked so they couldn't leave the premises.
Ynet (Hebrew and translation) reports on Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Fallen Soldiers Memorial day) in late April:
One guard suggested he would hose them down if they failed to comply: "One of the guards tried to turn [force to her feet] my friend, who refused to get up off the bench. He asked for a water pipe, and he himself will pour water on her."
"We sat on the benches quietly and waited for the ceremony to conclude, until they arrived and forced us to stand up. One who didn’t wish to stand during the ceremony was asked to go inside, but there was nowhere to go as everything was locked. This caused several of us to sit on the ground in protest, or on the wet benches”
“On the same day a class was supposed to be conducted, but it was cancelled and we had a free hour. A group of 12-13 students, including me, sat on the benches outside, when on the other side the ceremony was supposed to start. We didn’t bother anyone. Suddenly the cleaner arrived and asked that we stand up as she wants to clean the benches”
“Now we fear retaliation because we are bringing this out”, said a student. “Our feelings must also be considered. It was obvious that we wouldn’t identify with this or stand silently”.
“Imagine that in Germany they decide to stand for one minute for the soldiers who fought in the wars. Would there be a Jew who would stand in solidarity with the soldiers, at least some of whom took part in the Holocaust?"
I wonder whether this story will get anything like the coverage American media gave the Israeli Palestinian Supreme Court judge who stands for the national anthem but doesn't sing it.
The chairman of the Western Galilee Student Union as well as the "Management of the college" denied that the Palestinian students were forced to observe the ceremony, saying attendance was voluntary. But at the end of the article, Dr. Yehuda Ben Simon, dean of the students, admits Palestinian Israeli students were forced to participate in this activity.
However, he did claim the students had an opportunity to leave the area prior to the ceremony. Though that account is contradicted by the students who reported finding themselves locked in.
“From past experience we decided that the entire ceremony area and that around it will be a sterile area, so that there would be no gatherings and that no one would walk around the area during the ceremony. Therefore, we also ordered that the campus gates be closed. We wet the benches so that people would not sit on them. Those benches not embedded in the ground were turned over......All of this, for only twenty minutes, during the time in which the ceremony was held. 40% of the students at the college are Arabs. It is sufficient that three or four will try to arouse provocations. In order to prevent this, we decided on a sterile area. It is true that we wet the benches, and we will do this in the coming years. To my sorrow, there are those who attempt to be wise guys – to sit close by, talk on the telephone, to smoke during the ceremony. We attempted to prevent this. One who did not wish to be present had the opportunity to leave prior to the ceremony, and I mean all the students”
“Those benches not embedded in the ground were turned over……All of this, for only twenty minutes, during the time in which the ceremony was held. 40% of the students at the college are Arabs. ”
– Though Israel might try to crush those 40% of college students, and drive them into despair, they cannot do it.
-This is why I think its also so important that these students know that humanitarians all over the world are on their side. They are not alone, not forgotten, and this racism will end. Israel’s segregation and apartheid will end. At the point when the wall falls, and when the polls are open for all, then maybe the people who suffer the most will be restored to their homes and land.
Yet another example of the amazing ingenuity of Israeli Jews!
Cherry tomatoes, and now this.
I am not denying any of this. But I just have one question. Just a little while ago it was Yom HaZikaron (Day of remembering / rememberance) and I was informed that it was the day where we remember the people of the holocaust. In my classes we were told about some people who rescued the Jews from the camp so I was never under the impression that the ceremony was about the fallen soldiers. In the ceremony which I saw, I am fairly certain everything was about the holocaust as well.
That’s it. :D
From Wikipedia:
link to en.wikipedia.org
Western Galilee College is located just north of Acre, in the vicinity of the ethnically-cleansed village of al-Manshiyya.
Acre:
link to palestineremembered.com
al-Manshiyya:
link to palestineremembered.com
Forced remembrance?
Whether Arab or Israeli, I think it respectful to honour those who perished in the Holocaust, but I don’t see how forcing people to stand honours anyone’s memory.
The biggest irony being that they’re being forced against their will to remember people who were forced to do things against their will.
Very weird if you ask me.
Freddy and “unverified”,
“Yom Hazikaron” means “memorial day” in Hebrew, and Israel has two separate memorial days – one for the victims of the Holocaust (often simply called “Yom ha-Shoah”, although its official name is “Yom ha-zikaron la-Shoah ve-la-gvurah” – “Memorial day for the Holocaust and heroism”) and the other for those killed during military service (including pre-state militias, police and fire-fighters) and victims of terrorism (generally “Yom ha-zikaron”; officially “Yom ha-zikaron le-hallalei milhamot Yisrael u-le-nifge’ei pe’ulot ha-eivah” – “Memorial day for the fallen of Israel’s wars and victims of hostile actions”). To add to the confusion, the two days are about a week apart.
The incident Annie describes occurred on the day that commemorates Israel’s fallen soldiers – including the Zionist fighters killed while ethnically cleansing the Arab students’ own families. The actions of the college are thus reminiscent of efforts to force Palestinian citizens of Israel to recognise Israel Independence Day as a day of celebration, rather than a day of death, destruction and mourning.
Were the college actually interested in respecting the sensibilities of all students, rather than merely forcing Zionism down the throats of its Palestinian students, there are any number of ways in which it could have marked the day.
@Shmuel:
Apologies for the misunderstanding.
This is just as bizarre with the added twist of being insulting.
No need to apologise, Freddy. The two commemorations are intentionally connected and confounded by the keepers of Jewish Israeli memory.
My grandfather’s entire family was murdered in the Holocaust, but I do not consider the day established by the Knesset or the rituals and ceremonies ostensibly held in their honour on that day an appropriate way of commemorating their lives and deaths. On the contrary, I am deeply offended by the ways in which their memory has been expropriated and exploited by Israel and the Zionist movement.
RE: “My grandfather’s entire family was murdered in the Holocaust”
This is a great loss. Shmuel, you are a living example of this loss. The world I desire would have lots of Shmuels like you in it.
Thanks, Citizen.
I wonder what would you do with the Shmuels you don’t desire in your world?
oleg, what is that supposed to mean?
I wonder how you beat your wife, OlegR?
(Two can play at outrageous insinuations.)
>> I wonder what would you do with the Shmuels you don’t desire in your world?
Will Citizen carelessly reply “I would wipe them off the map, push them into the sea AND kill them all!!”…or will he see right through OlegR’s devilishly-”clever” ploy?
Stay tuned…
;-)
Annie, I guess OlegR is projecting from his proud days as an IDF participant in OP Cast Lead’s turkey shoot of Palestinian children.
Not to worry, elijay, I already replied to the smelly rabbit OlegR pulled out from his old Russian Jewish hat. He has no clue America is not, never has been Russia, or Israel.
Congratulations, Oleg. That’s the slimiest comment I’ve seen here in a while.
These incident of forcing palestinians to commemorate their own oppressors and the killers of their ancestors, is like asking Indian tribes to commemorate Custer’s “Last stand”. Not that they wouldn’t use it as occasion for celebration or commemoration of their own dead, but to mourn for Custer?
For the Indians Thanksgiving is not much cause for celebration either. Unless being stubbed in the back for hospitality is an occasion for mirth.
OTOH, the more Israel imposes these stupid rules – whether locally or nationally (as in outlawing Nakba mention), the more younger generations of Arab residents will become creative in keeping faith with their own narrative.
These incident of forcing palestinians to commemorate their own oppressors and the killers of their ancestors, is like asking Indian tribes to commemorate Custer’s “Last stand”.
Or to recognise the United States as “the nation state of the European People”.
Shmuel, good one.
Well, some comparisons with former lick-my-boots-regimes could be against Mondoweiss’ commenting policies.
Zionism is a cult built around the worship of the military. Well done to the Palestinians for ignoring it. It says nothing to them about their lives , as the Smiths once sang.
It is all quite reminiscent of the treatment Zochrot got on Independence day. Deep down every Israeli Jew knows the country is built on sand.
How difficult would it have been to allow those who chose not to participate to leave? If Israel really wants to be recognized as a legitimate democracy those with differing views or backgrounds need to be treated with respect.
Israel isn’t a democracy. The institutions are built around Zionism rather than any inherent democratic values. YESHA couldn’t have happened in a democracy but it makes perfect sense in Zionism.
I’m wondering if colleges in the former Confederate states have a moment of silence to honor the Confederate war dead.
Flying the Confederate flag is still a divisive issue, with southern whites supporting the idea and blacks opposed.
The issue erupted again just last year (!!) in South Carolina, where the Confederate “Stars and Bars” still fly over the state capitol. Newt Gingrich waded into the fray, saying that he was opposed to slavery and segregation, but whether or not to fly the Confederate flag is up to “the people of South Carolina”. Black groups have challenged the Tea-party-favorite governor, Nikki Haley, to take the Confederate flag down.
Contrast that with Palestinian students not given any time off to commemorate their Nakba and have to organize a time/place and do it behind closed doors.
yep. the contrast is glaring.
That certainly does demonstrate what this Court really is all about. It is Orwellian. It’s not enough that the Palestinians attend the Two Minutes Hate. They must love Big Brother.
“That certainly does demonstrate what this Court really is all about.”
That should read “what this Country really is all about…” Damn autocorrect.
“Nakba Bill” passed its final reading on Mar 22. This bill can be understood as a war on the collective memory of Palestinians, as it targets those who mark & commemorate the Catastrophe of 1948. Jamal Zahalka, of Balad party warned of “civil rebellion” against recent bills. Haneen Zoabi, also of Balad said: “This is a kind of law to control our memory. It’s a very stupid law which punishes our feelings. It seems that the history of the victim is threatening the Zionist state.”
“It is sufficient that three or four will try to arouse provocation.”. There they go again.
One bad guy in a wild west saloon prompts the sheriff to burst in, guns blazing, (the crowd is harboring the bad guy it is believed) until he finally nails the crook.
This seems to be Zionism 101: the false syllogism–1/. All Palestinians are terrorist;2/Marwan is a Palestinian;3/therefore, Marwan is a terrorist.
Blacks in the American South, and of course-south Africa, faced the same type of discrimination.
and that one guy doesn’t even need to be palestinian.
link to mondoweiss.net