The Stellenbosch University (SU) Palestine Solidarity Forum (PSF) recently held a critical engagement session on the Rooiplein to address the humanitarian issues in Palestine that have resulted from the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. PHOTO: Supplied/ SU PSF
A recent critical engagement session that aimed to address the current Israel-Palestine conflict became heated when pro-Israel views were expressed by some of those attending the session.
This was according to Shaniaé Maharaj, vice-chairperson of the Stellenbosch University (SU) Palestine Solidarity Forum (PSF). The critical engagement session, which was organised by the PSF, took place on the Rooiplein on 18 May, according to Kwanda Nyembe, chairperson of the PSF.
Conflict in Gaza has been escalating again following the invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by a squad of police officers on 13 April. This is according to an article published by The New York Times. According to The Guardian, the attacks exchanged between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza have resulted in more than 200 deaths, with the vast majority of the deaths being among Palestinians. Various countries have since called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The session on the Rooiplein was intended as a platform for engagement on the humanitarian issues in Palestine that have resulted from the ongoing conflict, said Nyembe.
“I felt like our platform was hijacked by pro-Isreali narratives that made the discussion a little bit redundant, […] and instead it became a screaming match,” said Maharaj.
Two attendees of the critical engagement session which took place on the Rooiplein on 18 May engage in a debate. The session was intended to address the humanitarian issues in Palestine that have resulted from the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. VIDEO: Supplied/Skyler Hendricks
One of the speakers who expressed a pro-Israel perspective was Vivienne Myburgh, national director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) in South Africa. She claimed that the manner in which other attendees responded to her statements was reactive and emotional.
“The majority [of the critical engagement attendees] are clearly not interested in hearing a different point of view, and information that differs from the narrative they have been fed,” claimed Myburgh.
Myburgh told MatieMedia that “Israel takes more care than most nations to avoid civilian deaths, especially children”, whereas “the pro-Palestinian side promotes a narrative where Israel is intentionally killing innocent children and civilians”.
Although the session involved some constructive conversations, Maharaj said that “the derailing that happened by pro-Isreali [speakers] did a lot of damage, especially given the limited time”.
Shaniaé Maharaj, vice-chairperson of the Stellenbosch University (SU) Palestine Solidarity Forum (PSF), explains the relationship between Palestine and Israel, as well as her perspective on what is happening in Palestine.
Student perspectives on the current situation in Palestine
Some students feel that the majority of the SU student community are content to remain uninformed on the current situation in Palestine.
This was according to Thandile Ngxikwe, a member of Amnesty Stellenbosch. Ngxikwe added that while the Israel-Palestine conflict is a political one, it is also a humanitarian crisis.
“We [the SU PSF] believe that justice is indivisible, and we stand with Palestine and her people. We condemn the Al-Aqsa mosque attacks and the ongoing killings that have claimed 52 children and 31 women,” said Nyembe.
Regardless of who the causal agent is, “we all have a moral duty to speak out against any form of injustice, because to be silent is to be complicit,” according to Nyembe.