INTERNATIONAL
GUEST SPEAKER CLAIMS ISRAEL AS U.S. COLONY
U.C. BERKELY PROFESSOR KEITH FELDMAN CONNECTS THE PAST AND PRESENT
EMILY KORTE
“I was taken aback by the strong correlations the speaker tried to make between colonialism, the modern state of Israel, antiZionism and racism, and Zionism specifically as racism,” Safir said. Rubino went on to echo Safir’s frustration adding, “I think that’s the problem with going to listen to these speakers talk about the proPalestinian cause, because they leave out the other narrative that’s really important to peace.” A counter-history, by definition, is a recount of history that goes against the
widely accepted and documented version of the event in question. Feldman’s own counter-history certainly meets this standard with his views on the PalestinianIsraeli issue. Jeanette Rawlins, a graduate student at PSU, commented, “What hit me the most was the way the U.N. changed its position on Zionism and the impact it has on the modern day.” Feldman ultimately pushed the idea that the State of Israel is nothing more than a colony of the Western world, mainly the United States. Israel declared independence in 1948.
“The suture between political Zionism and American Jewishness, I’m arguing, was contingently fashioned in this crucible of racial justice struggles in the late ’60s and early ’70s,” Feldman said. A contingent point of Feldman’s presentation was the aspect of the United Nations General Assembly’s stance on racism and discrimination. Resolution 3379 from 1975 declared Zionism as a form of racial discrimination effectively silencing any conversation about whether Israel should exist as a state. The decision was repealed in the early 1990s.
THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD APRIL 5–10
PROFESSOR KEITH FELDMAN GIVES A SPEECH ABOUT THE CURRENT STRUGGLE FOR PEACE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. STEVEN YOUNG/PSU VANGUARD Parallels were drawn in in the United States. The a speech given at Portland topic attracted 30 to 40 peoState by Keith Feldman, a ple including known memprofessor at UC Berkeley, bers of the on-campus between the American civil group Students United for rights movement of the 1960s Palestinian Equal Rights. and the ongoing struggle for Feldman denied to compeace between Israel and ment due to previous slander Palestine in the Middle East, from the media. on April 5. Feldman gave a similar lecAfter 40 minutes of read- ture at Lewis and Clark a day ing from an iPad, Feldman’s prior on April 4. PSU student speech, titled “Palestine in Anthony Safir attended the the Shadows: A Counter- event and told the Vanguard History of American Racial the question and answer pePolitics,” focused on his book riod was intense, as pressure A Shadow over Palestine was applied from the Jewish that goes into depth about audience members for more the connection between explanation. the Palestinian-Israeli conFeldman connects the flict and racial struggles Palestinian struggle for state-
hood and recognition within Israel as a mirror to the African-American civil rights movement in the 1960s for freedom and recognition in the United States. The research and sources that Feldman used throughout his presentation and his statement claiming Israel is fundamentally a colony of the U.S. offended certain audience members. While the pro-Palestinian supporters in the room denied to comment, the Vanguard had the opportunity to sit down with Jennifer Rubino and Safir who are both Jewish students at PSU that attended Feldman’s event.
Molly Ozier
APRIL 5:
In light of the “biggest leak in whistleblower history,” the Panama Papers have prompted Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson to step down for “an unspecified amount of time,” allowing a different party official to take over due to an illegal offshore account in his name.
APRIL 8:
Mohamed Abrini, the third and lone survivor from the Brussels attacks, is arrested in Brussels. This is the suspect known as the “the man in the hat” from the photo captured in the Brussels’ Zaventem airport.
APRIL 10:
In celebration of the Hindu New Year, a fireworks display goes awry, igniting an explosion killing over 100 people and leaving over 200 injured in Kerala, India.
APRIL 10:
Peruvians head to the polls to elect their new president. Front runner is the daughter of Peru’s former president, Alberto Fujimori, now imprisoned for human rights abuse during his term. Followed by conservative former prime minister Pablo Kuczynski and leftist congresswoman Veronica Mendoza.
Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com
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