As an Emerson Fellow for StandWithUs, a program that aims to educate students across the globe about Israeli affairs, political theory and constitutional democracy senior Raffi Appel invited special guests to campus to share their side of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict.

In front of an audience of more than 100 students, two Israeli soldiers, Jossi and Itzik, whose last names are withheld for safety reasons, spoke with ROTC and other students at Demonstration Hall as a part of Israeli Soldiers Stories sponsored by StandWithUs.

National Campus Program Director Brett Cohen said many people in the U.S. hold negative perceptions of Israel, and the program aims to dispel those misconceptions.

“If you ask a typical American what they think of when they hear the word Israel, they might say sand, guns and camels, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “There’s Jews and Arabs and people of all types and colors. We want to show the real Israel.”

During the event, Jossi described his experiences as a gay soldier in the Israeli army. After explaining that no one in the army cared that he was gay, he said his commanding officer once let him go for the weekend for a gay pride parade.

“I bought a rainbow ribbon to wrap my dog tags in,” he said. “I was colorful and proud.”

But halfway through the presentation, a group of more than 40 students in the Students Allied for Freedom and Equality group, or SAFE, left their seats. Signs were taped to their chests and backs with the names of children who have been killed during the Israeli and Palestinian conflict in red ink to symbolize the blood shed by their deaths.

Without saying a word, the students left the room in silent protest.

The SAFE students, a majority of whom are Muslim, had less than two days to gather support for the walkout, said communication junior Aseel Machi, who organized the event.

Dena Elian, president of SAFE, said the group hoped to make a statement without causing a disturbance.

“For everyone who doesn’t have a voice, our purpose was to be the voice of Palestinians,” she said.

The Israeli and Palestinian conflict arose after land in Palestine was occupied by Jewish settlements, said Omid Behbahani-Nejad, a physiology sophomore who was part of the walkout.

As the students walked out, Cohen shook his head in disappointment.

“It’s really sad,” he said. “These (soldiers) are here to talk and give their side.”

But for Appel, he said Israeli conflicts still remain important to him.

“I wanted to be an active Jewish student,” he said. “It’s something that’s important to me in my heart.”