Israel, Palestine both deserve to exist in peace

I was saddened, but not surprised, to hear of the violent disruption of the recent Duke Students for Justice in Palestine event. The disruption is the typical response of those who seek to silence the voices of the marginalized in general and the voice of Palestinians in particular.

Israel has an absolute right to exist as a nation. Israel also has the right to exist free from threats of terror and war. Few dispute the right of Israel to exist except for extremists who must be condemned. Israel, however, has shifted from ensuring its security to perpetuating a violent and illegal occupation that oppresses and dehumanizes the Palestinian people. Israel has a right to exist, but it has no right to construct illegal settlements on land that is owned by Palestinians. Israel has a right to be treated with respect, but it has no right to force Palestinians to move through dehumanizing checkpoints that sometimes cause Palestinian men and women to move like cattle for up to six hours a day simply trying to get to and from work and home. Israel has the right to its security, but it has no right to demolish Palestinian homes simply because the Israeli government harasses Palestinians by arbitrarily denying building permits.

I spent a few weeks traveling in Israel and Palestine this past summer. I visited with Palestinians living in the everyday reality of Israeli occupation. I walked along both sides of Israel’s so-called “separation fence.” I visited a camp where Palestinian refugees have lived now for almost 65 years. One Palestinian woman asked me to tell people back in the United States, “We Palestinians are human beings. We are not dust.” I urge the Duke University community to listen to her voice. Yes, Israel deserves the right to exist in peace, but so does an independent Palestine.

Alan Felton

Divinity ’14