If Palestinian cultural critic Edward Said still lived today

May 23, 2024

SEOUL – Recently, pro-Palestine protests have been erupting across American college campuses. Ever since Columbia University ignited the protest on April 18 by setting up an encampment and occupying Hamilton Hall, many other elite American universities have joined the protests. At the University of Michigan, protestors even waved Palestinian flags.

The protestors demand the US government to withdraw its support of Israel in order to stop the genocide in Palestine. On Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis. As a retaliation, Israel began an extensive military campaign in Gaza, despite US President Biden’s opposition, killing reportedly 35,000 Palestinians.

In his State of the Union speech in March, President Biden said that even though Israel has a right to go after Hamas, it has a fundamental responsibility to protect Palestinian civilians when it strikes back against Hamas. Unfortunately, however, the civilian casualties in Gaza have been heavy.

Public opinion is split. The supporters of the pro-Palestine protestors argue that Israel is no longer a victim, but has now become an aggressor victimizing the people of Palestine. Moreover, Israel, taking advantage of America’s support, has massacred the Palestinians in Gaza. The anti-Israel protestors claim that they are non-violent and demand freedom of speech on campus.

The non-supporters contend that the protestors’ encampment on the campus lawn or occupying a university building to spread one specific ideology is wrong and illegal. They maintain that the protestors’ demand of divesting the endowment from companies connected to Israel is equally wrong because a university’s endowment is not a political tool.