Northwestern University students will have an opportunity to learn about Palestine's culture, history and politics during a weeklong celebration on campus called Palestine Week after administrators reached an agreement with student protesters.
The initial attack on Israel by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs part of Gaza, left 1,200 people dead and resulted in hundreds more being taken hostage. More than 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza so far, according to The Associated Press, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and military deaths.
Across the nation, protests against the Mideast war have broken out, with demonstrators calling for organizations to divest from companies with ties to Israel. Hundreds of students have set up protest camps at colleges across the nation, including more than 100 pro-Palestinian student demonstrators that are camped out on Columbia University's main lawn to protest the war and demand that their school divest from companies linked to Israel. Reports of antisemitism also have been on the rise.
Some protests have turned violent, such as at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) when pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel counterprotesters clashed earlier this month. Law enforcement officials in riot gear allegedly shot rubber bullets at protesters to clear the protest.
Palestine Week comes a few weeks after the protesters at Illinois' Northwestern University reached an agreement with the university that would permit one aid tent to remain on campus following the five-day protest. According to the agreement, the tent could remain on Northwestern's campus until June 1 for "compliant" protesters. Students who did not respect the agreement would face suspension, and protesters not affiliated with the school are required to leave campus.
"This event is being hosted by several groups, including student groups. The University is not involved in the planning," a Northwestern University spokesperson told Newsweek.
The organizations behind Palestine Week are The Middle Eastern North African Student Association (MENA), Educators for Justice in Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace and Fossil Free NU, The Daily Northwestern reported. One of the organizers said the encampment and the university's subsequent agreement brought the protesters "positive momentum," and they hoped to build on that by offering Palestine Week, The Daily Northwestern reported.
Newsweek reached out to MENA by email for comment.
"The encampment and the agreement both brought us a lot of positive momentum that we're going to use to keep pushing forward," the anonymous organizer said. "At the end of the day, everything we do is for Palestine."
The organizer wished to remain unnamed for fear of retribution, The Daily Northwestern reported.
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