Come Together: Group Unites Israeli and Palestinian Stanford Students for Peace

By Don Kazak
Palo Alto Online
Wednesday, June 5, 2002

Yael Ben-zvi grew up on a kibbutz in Israel. A graduate of Tel Aviv University, Ben-zvi, now 33, is a doctoral student in modern thought at Stanford.

For anyone to accuse her of being anti-Semitic or working for the destruction of her home state of Israel would be ludicrous.

But other Jewish students at Stanford, specifically members of pro-Israel groups, are less than happy with the actions of a group Ben-Zvi helped form at the university called the Coalition for Justice in Israel/Palestine.

One reason for the Jewish students' angst is that the coalition held an event at Stanford to commemorate Nakba Day, a day of remembrance for Palestinians, on May 15.

The group held a poignant noon rally on White Plaza.

On the ground, a large map of Palestine, circa 1947, was laid out. Bright green paper blocks dotted the map, representing the dozens of Palestinian towns and villages that were relocated or abolished when the state of Israel was formed, many of the Palestinians being sent to refugee camps.

While speakers read the names of each village into a microphone for the onlookers, Ben-zvi picked up the appropriate small paper block and dropped it into one of many large bins, labeled "refugee camps."

About a dozen or so pro-Israel counter-demonstrators showed up, several of whom were draped in the distinctive white and blue flag of Israel.

So why is a native-born Israeli remembering a day that is important to Palestinians?

"There's nothing anti-Semitic in working for justice," Ben-zvi said. "We need an approach that will bring people together, that won't drive people apart."

The conflict in Israel, especially the military actions on the West Bank in recent months, have sparked demonstrations on campuses throughout the United States, demonstrations against Israel's use of force to quiet unrest in West Bank Palestinian villages.

While the discord has hit typically progressive-thinking campuses like Stanford, it has also reaped discord within Israel, not all of which has been reported here.

The so-called "refuseniks," Israeli military veterans who have refused to serve in the military actions, have gotten some press here. But another group, "ta'ayush," -- an Arabic word meaning cooperation or coexistence -- hasn't.

It's a group of Jews and Palestinians, Ben-zvi said, which is quietly working for peace on the West Bank by building roads and bringing in truckloads of food and medicine to isolated Palestinian villages that have been neglected or not officially recognized by the state of Israel.

The Stanford coalition has about 150 members, mostly students. They are Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians, Christians and others. There is even a Mormon member from Texas, Ben-zvi said.

"I'm thankful that Yael has started this group," said Nabeel Ibrahim. He's an American from West Lafayette, Ind., home of Purdue University, his undergraduate alma mater.

Ibrahim, 27, is a doctoral student in electrical engineering at Stanford, soon to graduate. He is of Lebanese-Palestinian descent.

He was formerly the head of a pro-Arab group on campus, which existed from 1995 to 1998, and raised the hackles of others.

The new group still gets its share of grief from pro-Israel students, but others recognize it for what it is - a group of Jews and Muslims, among others, which deeply believes in the idea of eventual peace for everyone in Israel, Jews and Palestinians.

"In general, the response has been positive," Ibrahim said. While there have been some students who have been upset with (the organization), students who want to defend Israel no matter what it does, other students have been supportive.

"Stanford students tend to be open-minded and receptive to learning," he added.

"Some people are interested in listening to the other side," Ben-zvi said. Even so, she added, "We've had some encounters that haven't been so pleasant. Some people are obsessed with countering any criticism of Israel."

The student government helped provide the funds for the organization's remembrance of Nakba Day, and Ibrahim said some students tried to lobby against the allocation. But members of the student government attended the event and seemed satisfied with the thoughtful and heartfelt demonstration, which included music and speakers -- and no angry words.

With the academic year winding down, and commencement just a week and half away, Stanford is about to close its shutters for the summer.

The group has no specific plans for the fall, but it will likely continue to bring speakers in and hold events to raise the consciousness of Stanford students about what is happening in Israel, and about the need for peace and justice there.

Ibrahim notes that even the two staunchly pro-Israel groups on campus have eventual goals that are similar to the Coalition for Justice in Israel/Palestine's hopes for peace.

For now, that peace may be a long way off.

Ben-zvi is disturbed by a movement starting in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, which she hears about from her family and friends . The proposal calls for the "transfer" of Palestinians out of the state of Israel, an encouragement to immigrate elsewhere. Ben-zvi likens it to a kind of ethnic cleansing.

"Many people, especially in the U.S., are not aware of this," she said.

One of the unfortunate consequences of the tragedy of Sept. 11, Ben-zvi said, is that "people are more willing to blame Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians" for unrest in the world. "That damages any proposals for peace."

The turmoil in Israel won't be solved on any American college campus, including Stanford, but the hopes for peace are reminiscent of other demonstrations for peace by another generation of American college students during the war in Vietnam. That helped eventually change the country and end that war.

"I hope there is a dialogue that can go on," Ben-zvi said.

"I hope the worst is over," Ibrahim said. "If I didn't have a shred of any optimism, I wouldn't be involved in this."