The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 23, Ed. 1 Friday, April 4, 1997 Page: 10 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Rice University Woodson Research Center.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
: ■ : V';
■ , . • -S . .
■ . . : - '. i . ■ - « '■ ,' ■ : 'U:< ■ •' b
_ ;
—-
' '.. ' . . 1 ■ 1 " 1 1 " 1 1 1 -.1:
, ::k,' ■ ■■■•.-• . - )"■ r,' .
mm i?:
■
J -''i -U--P^
a*
Having been raised in a pro-Israel, western home, my pie-
conceived picture of Palestinian youth was as you might expect:
stone-throwing, angry hotheads responsible for much of the
violence between the Arab and Israeli Sides.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Perhaps the most powerful experience of the trip to Palestine
for me was a van ride back to Jerusalem from Bir '/x it I 'Diversity
We were hurrying, because we were anxious to avoid a student
protest against the Har Homa development on the same road we
were taking back. As luck would have it, we didn't. As we drove
into the protest, our van was4 surrounded by students who crowded
in angrily, peering nj.o the van as if to find out who we were and
what we were doing there. And. even though some of our Pales
tiiiuii student friends were actually in the van with us, there was
a distinct moment as the crowd reacted to our presence in which
all hi my preconceived ideas about Palestinian youth ran through
mv head For a moment. I was afraid of what would happen.
Then, i-Me van door was roughlvtopened from the outside, and
the pmtestors closest to us were instantly peering around at us
mstde '
As I looked out into the crowd, 1 suddenly realized thai many
of the people otitside our van were actually friends I had met
during the course of the week and. with whom 1 had identified
closely as a student and supporter of their cause. 1 he entire
situation changed Irom one of nervousness and teat to one ot
identification and solidarity. I he entire facade that had been
instilledinto me through the course ol my western-educate!
crumbled and Irlh Those people were not hostile, angi s inciters
o! violent ! ; instead, they Were impassioned, loyal students light-
ing for a cause they believed in. h was hard tor me not to believe
in it as well.
r~;
-to affisT
■H lr v.«
^"<t
" •. t
■A' U
<►* .
W&t&SL
NO
[he issue of a new Israeli housing project hi East Jerusalem at Jabal Abug Nayrn (known as Har Homa in Hebrew) led these Palestinian college sti
violent protest •
Rice University and the James A. Baker 111
Institute for Public Policy created a new under-
graduate social science course entitled "Con-
temporary Palestinian Issues: Transformation
Towards Nat ion-Building." With the assistance'
o| Secretary James Baker,'Baker Institute l)i-
rei tor Fdward Djerejian aiufHanszen College
senior Allison Price Fine, a study tour was
created to complement the course.
, Fine began planning the course during the
academic year, which she spent at
Hebrew University in Israel. She conceived
the study tour as a means to stimulate aca-
demic exploration of th£ Palestinian situation
and to offer a unique opportunity for experien-
cing the Arab World.
Based upon submitted research proposals,
1 r Rice students were selected to participate in
the study tour, which took place over midterm
break in early March.
During the course of the trip, students met
with high-ranking Palestinian government of-
ficials, university professors, intellectuals and
students.
Several of the more prominent figures the
students met with weri"TIaider Abdul-Shafi, a
chief Palestinian negotiator of the Oslo Ac-
cords: SarUNuseibeh, philosopher and Presi-
dent of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) University and a
Palestinian negotiator in Oslo: Marwan
lative Council; Ma'en Erekat, who is second in
command at the Orient House behind Faisal
Husseini; and Meir Romem, Chief of the Con-
sular Division at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in
Jerusalem.
Israeli soldiers w.ni in line at a Burger King in a West Jerusalem Mail.
Ellie Wilkinson
Sid Richardson College Junior
For most of the study tour, 1 stayed intheShu'iar telugeecamp
with a Palestinian family who had fieri the (Hd C.ity+n the 196? war
I lie family was very traditional — my host mother wore long,
colorful dresses and a head scarf. and when my host sister atul 1
came home after eight, it usually involved a small scandal
I here, politics are not found just in newspapers, instead, they
permeate everyday hie My host brother had been in jail as a
political prisoneY. and the adult children had grown up during the
Intifada. The very place where they lived and their status' as
li'fugees put them at the center of on'e ohhe most divisive issues
in the Palestinian'hraeli conflict the occupation *ol disputed
homelands
Howevet, by living with them, I could see how they built their
lamily above and around that conflict, lite older brothers were
working arid starting families, and the younger sisters, who are
mv age, were spending time with their boyfriends and also
working. My host mother seethed concerned with cooking as
much food as possible for us. She spoke no Fuglish, but I felt close
to her when I left Phe family is profoundly aware of their situa-
tion, and they work for change without abandoning their lives.
1'fwelursiTiFrtwtfiro theirhriTnr; amt 1h*arm*d frrmrthem and -
enjoyed their friendship.
"ftw OotTtt? of' Hw RocH -try the* Old City ol )f?rusalenv ts the thurJ ftoliest. -site lor Mw&lin\
after Mecca and Medina. _ ( , . , _
Palestinian families in the West 1
lived in cities such as Ramallah and.
or villages such as Anata and Shut
the students. Most of the sluden
close friendships with the host
"Abdullah, my host, -- and 1 know tl
cliclukl, but it's tru<— was like tr
during that week. We're still in t<
Richardson College senior, Josh Far
Tile-students also conducted res
interviews throughout the Occupit
lies in refugee camps, hospitals
schools-arid several research institui
as the Israeli-Palestinian Council for
the only such cooperative think t.;
world. ,
"listening to officials, thinkers <
off the street tell stories, give backg
discuss their sentiments on Pales
Israeli occupation and the peace pn
an extraordinary personal and pOVs
on the situation of the Palestinia
Jones College senior Adam Reiser
The real purpose <1 the tri[
sightseeing, having fun or finding tl
to the peace process. It was to expc
as the Palestinians do. Students
posed firsthand to the everyday t
Palestinians, (row-bang stopped at el
to navigating the squalid streets of
with shoeless children as guides.
"I think one of the most powerfi
remember was that of the Jahalir
who hadjust been foreihly removed
land by the Israeli authorities two
tier. They were living in empty freig
garbage dump without any grass for
to graze on." SRC junior Eleanor
said
"I think we saw and learned a k
you don't normally find on CNN,"!
Rakesh Agrawal said
Reiser concurred, "As a people^
tmians) know both their situatio
United States'political situation, in i
better than most of us. Their i
frustation atid the causes for them
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Hardi, Joel & Siy, Angelique. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 23, Ed. 1 Friday, April 4, 1997, newspaper, April 4, 1997; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246565/m1/10/: accessed May 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.