Walker Wall at Pomona College.
In a statement released on October 8, the Claremont Students for Justice in Palestine and Claremont Jewish Voice for Peace blamed the recent Hamas attacks on the state of Israel.
The first line of the statement reads, “We… stand in unwavering solidarity with Palestinians during this critical moment in the ongoing struggle for liberation, freedom and self determination.” The student groups released the statement in response to Hamas’ attack that killed hundreds of Israeli citizens at a music festival. As of Saturday, Hamas’s ongoing assault has left more than 1,300 Israelis dead and at least 150 civilians kidnapped.
The statement goes on to say that the civilian deaths are a “result of the ongoing Nakba [the displacement of Palestinians when Israel was created] and continued dispossession of indigenous land. The loss of any and all life is a tragedy.” The statement also predicted more civilian deaths if Israel does not end its occupation: “Until the occupation ends its legacy of 75 years of continued violence, the reality is that more lives will be lost.”
The statement concluded, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free. Long live the Intifada.” The first and second Palestinian intifadas, or periods of resistance against Israel, often included attacks against Israeli civilians, frequently followed by Israeli retaliation. Hamas, a U.S-designated terror group, was established just prior to the first Palestinian intifada in the 1980s and played a large role in both the first and second intifadas.
The statement was signed by 11 campus organizations, including the Claremont Student Workers Alliance, Racial Justice Coalition and 5C Prison Abolition Collective.