On Tuesday, Nov. 9, at least a hundred Bucknellians gathered on the Science Quad to take a stand against President Bravman walking out of “A Night with the Presidents” after a group of students called out the administration for investing in corporations that fund and support the Israeli government, among other complaints. Citing President Bravman’s refusal to listen to the student body despite this being the exact purpose of Tuesday night’s event, a line of students, faculty and staff alike made up the march that followed chanting phrases such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Gaza! Gaza! Don’t you cry, Palestine will never die!” Protestors then sat in silence and solidarity with the people of Palestine for 75 minutes on the greenspace outside of the ELC—one minute for each year of violence and oppression forced onto the people of Gaza and the West Bank since the creation of the state of Israel. 

The demonstrations were loud, but the demands were louder according to Citlali Rodriguez ’25, who described the crowd as unwavering, even in the face of mockery and discomfort brought on by a few sour onlookers. Similarly, Ginger Baxter ’25 had something of an emotional response to the turnout as it was a true sign of students’ unfaltering support for the cause. Baxter also stated that the blockage of the uphill ELC walkway physically confronted our peers “with the realities of violence facing Palestinians,” and that “by staying silent, we furthered our message with our overall unsettling presence.” As a participant in this event, I can attest to the realities of these views, tearing up a bit while we were marching. 

I stand with the people of Palestine against their decades-long subjection to occupation by Israel; however, I also stand with the innocent Israeli lives that have been affected by this conflict. The notion that this issue is no longer one based on religious ideals (i.e. the ownership of the holy city of Jerusalem) is contradictory to current popular belief, but it is true. Israel has already won the city; they have retained it for years, yet the people of Gaza and the West Bank are no less oppressed by the Israeli government and military than before this was the case. The world is taking notice of this conflict in a way it has not previously – Nov. 9, 2023 became the day the world shutdown for Palestine according to The People’s Forum. People are angry, but will the people who make the decisions to alleviate this conflict finally decide to listen? The more likely case is that they will be forced to, but even that feels like a long shot given the realities of the world today.