General business sophomore Diana Yacob hasn’t spoken to her grandfather, who lives overseas in Palestine, for more than a month.
And she worries that he may be in danger since violence has recently erupted between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
So Yacob, president of MSU’s Arab Student Organization, said she felt it was important to take time to remember her grandfather and others who live, or have died, in the area.
“It saddens me that I’m way over here in the United States,” she said. “This is the least I can do.”
A crowd of 40 gathered for a candlelight vigil held by the ASO at Beaumont Tower late Monday night. Several local community members joined the organization in recognition of 30 Palestinians who were killed and the 1,000 more who were injured during recent conflicts in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The fighting began Sept. 28 after Israeli right-wing politician Ariel Sharon entered the Haram Al-Sharif, Islam’s holiest site in Jerusalem.
As people left Beaumont Tower on Monday night, Yacob said she felt the vigil provided some comfort for those who are concerned about friends and family living in Palestine.
“You can really feel the emotion, especially in the moments of silence,” she said. “Just the fact that this many people came out at midnight - that’s support in itself.”
And many others agreed.
John Nashef, a Lansing Community College student, said it’s important to raise public consciousness about the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East.
“We came to let the truth come out,” he said. “People just don’t know about what’s going on in Lebanon and Palestine.
“Over 50,000 civilians are dead and people don’t know because the media won’t show it.”
Those who attended the vigil listened to information about the recent violence. Several people grasped Palestinian flags as the organization marched around chanting, “No return, no peace.”
A moment of silence honored 12-year-old Muhammad Al-Dura, who was shot and killed by a sniper as his father tried to shield him from a hail of crossfire. Bassam Al Bilbeisi, an ambulance driver who was shot while trying to rescue Al-Dura and the child’s father, was also remembered.
Lansing resident Ed Eid said he hopes the vigil will bring awareness and activism to those students and community members who attended.
“We’re trying to get our point across that we are peaceful people that were driven out of our country by the Zionist movement,” he said. “We want our land back peacefully. We want peaceful solutions. We hope that the U.S. government will assist in stopping the killing and support Palestinian autonomy to have a self-controlled government.”
