The organization Northwestern Students for Justice in Palestine has issued a statement blaming Israel for underlying conditions that led to last weekend’s Hamas invasion.
The group also plans to join a proposed nationwide Students for Justice in Palestine “Day of Action,” by calling for a rally at the Rock on campus on Thursday night.
The social media posting says Palestinians “living under stifling [Israeli] blockades, towering walls, and stringent checkpoints” have had their human rights violated.
It also says “The instigator and perpetrator of this sustained injustice cannot then justifiably claim victimhood when the oppressed rise in response to such aggression.”
While condemning Israel, the statement does not address murders committed by the Hamas terrorist invaders, who killed 1,200 Israelis, including women, children, and more than 200 concert-goers who were gunned down at a festival. Twenty-two Americans have been killed, and Hamas has also taken more than 140 hostages.
Twelve-hundred Palestinians have been killed in Israeli retaliation raids on Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Israel has also cut off Gaza’s access to fuel, water, and food, according to multiple news outlets, in an effort to isolate and punish Hamas.
Pro-Palestinian groups at several other universities have also issued statements condemning Israel. One, at Harvard, from the Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, said “Israel was directly responsible for the unfolding violence.”
At least five organizations that signed the Harvard letter have since withdrawn their signatures, including the Harvard Islamic Society, according to the Washington, D.C. news site, “The Hill.”
The Northwestern group’s social media announcement says there will be an SJP vigil, on Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Rock.
“Join us for a peaceful vigil in solidarity with Palestine,” it says. “Let’s come together to promote justice, equality, and understanding. All are welcome.”