”From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, free free Palestine,” chanted Husseim Alhraishawi as he marched Tuesday in front 150 fellow protestors on 8th Street in downtown Columbia.
On the backs and in the arms of protestors, Palestinian flags waved in the wind outside of the Boone County Courthouse. Seeking to raise awareness of the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, a large crowd gathered to make speeches and show solidarity.
“We’re here to stand for our people and to show the true colors of Israel,” said Husham Husham.
Iman Eldeib delivered a speech surrounded by a diverse crowd in faith and ethnicity. Eldeib called attention to President Joe Biden’s politics with Israel as well as a $735 million sale of arms recently enacted by his administration. In response to this, Eldeib urged those in attendance to use their voice and take to social media.
Student organizers provided an informational handout. The handout included information about boycotting Israeli and international companies complicit in violation of Palestinian rights.
From the courthouse, the crowd marched to MU’s Francis Quadrangle. Reverend Wes Knight delivered a speech in solidarity with Palestine, but made it clear that his sentiments were not against Judaism. “This is colonialism,” he said. “There is not an anti-semitic person among us.”
East Jerusalem is home to Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict stems from competing claims for this land, and violence has resulted from this repeatedly in the past. Both nations hold the belief that land in Jerusalem is their capital. Now, deadly clashes and missile strikes have impacted the two nations.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, is once again calling for intifada. Intifada describes the Palestinian uprising that began in 1987 in response to Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
The most recent conflict was sparked after Israeli police cut off prayer speakers at the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on the first night of Ramadan. This was reportedly done in order to make sure that a speech given nearby by the Israeli Prime Minister would be audible. The Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest sight in Islam, and Ramadan is the holiest month of the year in the religion.
The downtown protest was organized for today in order to coincide with a general strike across Palestine, according to co-organizer and self-described concerned citizen Kanchan Hans. Hans said the goal of the general strike was to call for Palestinian solidarity from the rest of the world.