Harvard, Stanford, Yale, debates are sometimes heated in several prestigious universities in the United States, between supporters of both camps.
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At Georgetown University in Washington, the capital of the United States, some students criticize the management for its official position on the war between Israel and Hamas. The situation of the Palestinians is not taken into account, according to Vishnu. The 22-year-old history student is having lunch facing a wall where the Star of David is taped next to a message to the president of the university: “Your silence is violence.” “He issued a statement about a week ago about Israel, but not yet about Gazaexplains the student. I think it would be better if he did one on Gaza. I’m more pro-Israel but it’s a problem.”believes Vishnu.
The polarization of positions
What poses a problem for the students is an email from management which regretted the Israeli victims without recognizing those on the Palestinian side. To protest, several demonstrations took place on campus in front of the university president’s office. Maureen, a 19-year-old business student who identifies as pro-Palestine, attended. “There is definitely a polarization hereshe regrets. People who are extremely pro-Israel and opposite, supporters of Palestine. In my opinion, the university should make a much clearer statement without being shocking, while remaining neutral.”
“There are a lot of divisions at school, some put up posters, others tear them down.”
Maureen, student at Georgetown Universityat franceinfo
Steve, an international relations student, stays away from all that. “There are a lot of leaflets and posters”, he said, pointing to the Palestinian flags and calls for donations to Israel plastered on the building in front of him. Georgetown isn’t the only university affected, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where Steve’s brother studies, there have also been protests and rallies. In Washington, several professors at Georgetown wrote to the president of the university, founded in 1789, to criticize him for his silence on the suffering of the Palestinians. In the meantime, two police cars are parked in the paths between the campus lawns.