A dozen people were arrested at the University of California at Irvine on Monday evening for disrupting a lecture by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, according to a blog run by The Orange County Register, which also has photographs and video of the event. Mr. Oren was interrupted repeatedly by shouts from protesters irate over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and by the university’s decision to play host to the talk. Mr. Oren was also occasionally interrupted by applause. The campus’s Muslim Student Union had early condemned Mr. Oren’s scheduled appearance. The university’s chancellor, Michael V. Drake, told the audience he was embarrassed by the disruptions. An Irvine spokesman told the Associated Press that those arrested were students at his campus as well as at UC-Riverside. All were cited and released.
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8 Responses to Students Arrested at UC-Irvine After Protest of Israeli Ambassador’s Speech
mart7624 - February 9, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Tsk, tsk, the poor, oppressed palestinians. It must seem ridiculous to them that, after firing nearly 8000 missiles from gaza to murder defenseless Israelis in their homes and schools, there was an effort by Israel’s government to protect its citizens.
22232203 - February 9, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Poor israel. How about Justice Goldstein Report that revealed israeli violations of human rights and international humanitarian law to the extent of war crimes during its December 2009 war on Gaza?
tony__ross - February 9, 2010 at 4:46 pm
student protests against speakers is not new and it happens most everyday on most every campus. the issue is one of the protection of the right to protest and the rights of the audience to hear the speaker… be it over the budget, controversial speakers, or human rights issues, etc. there will always be the need to provide balanced perspectives and while ensuring the freeedom of speech…
dubious - February 9, 2010 at 4:49 pm
“Tsk, tsk, the poor, oppressed palestinians. It must seem ridiculous to them that, after firing nearly 8000 missiles from gaza to murder defenseless Israelis in their homes and schools, there was an effort by Israel’s government to protect its citizens.”If I had been forced to live under foreign military occupation for over 30 years, I’d be shooting something, too.
tvusrfch - February 10, 2010 at 7:15 am
Dubious, when Israel pulled out, Gazans were given the opportunity to live without occupation for their first time in 90 years (they had previously been occupied by the British, the Egyptians, and the Israelis). They were left with agricultural infrastructure which they destroyed, and financial support which they squandered on missiles. They could have chosen to attend to their wellbeing, instead of terrororizing their Israeli civilian neighbors.
lzing - February 10, 2010 at 9:44 am
Re. The Goldstone Report, there are serious issues regarding its supposedly evenhanded treatment:http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/new/The_Goldstone_Report_Rewarding_Palestinian_Terror.asp
anonhere - February 10, 2010 at 10:45 am
Hyperbole occurs on both sides.
dsokal - February 19, 2010 at 8:15 am
The video on the Orange County Register (http://collegelife.freedomblogging.com/2010/02/08/israeli-ambassador-xxxx-at-uci/15647/) does a decent job of capturing the feeling of the protest. It is similar to campus protests against the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, segregation, etc. The arrest of those protesting is nothing unusual. The protest is loud and non-violent and each protester leaves without being physically forced. Judging by the response of those in the audience who disagree with the protest, none of them seem to feel physically threatened. I applaud those who organized and executed the protest in a non-violent manner. However, I think it would be useful for the opposing groups at UCI to move beyond shouting matches and have meaningful discussions.Supporters of Israel and of Palestine tend to live in separate worlds and to wall themselves off from each other. When individuals from these two groups manage to pull themselves out of these entrenched positions and communicate in an open and honest manner with one another, it turns out that some common views and interests can be found and progress away from conflict and towards reconciliation can be achieved. In the video we see a professor with a kipah (Jewish head covering) telling one of the protesters that he will use his authority to fail the protester. This is a good example of how anger can lead us to fail to use good judgement. As a Jew myself, I have always been taught that it is our tradition to protest against oppression, not only oppression of oneself and one’s people, but of any human being as we are all children of God. Clearly this professor’s threat — which, if carried out, would be a breach of all reasonable academic standards — was made in a moment of passion and anger. In contrast to this scene of overt conflict, there are many examples of organized efforts to bring Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians together to have open and meaningful dialog.In the Bay Area, only a few hundred miles from UCI, Len and Libby Traubman have been leading small informal gatherings of Jews and Palestinians in peoples’ homes to share food, time and talk: http://www.nationalpeaceacademy.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=16. Here in the Seattle area, Leah Green has developed a conflict resolution method called Compassionate Listening. She developed it in response to her deep passion about Israel and Palestine. She has led many groups in Israel and Palestine bringing together people from both sides and creating an atmosphere in which people can express their fears, anger and hopes in a way that the “enemy” can hear without being threatened: http://www.compassionatelistening.org/delegations/israel-palestine.Also in Seattle, a small company called Olive Branch Enterprises is importing Palestinian olive oil from Israel Palestine and selling it online in the US. The oil is unique in that it is exported by two Israeli fair trade groups who work with their Arab neighbors day in and day out. See http://www.peaceoil.net.Further north in Vancouver Canada, the Peace-It Together Society brought Palestinian, Israeli and Canadian youth together to make films about the conflict in Israel Palestine. In 2006, ten youth from each country came to a summer camp for several weeks. After workshops designed to help the Israelis and Palestinians get over their fears, misconceptions and anger, the youth started to work on the films. I had the privilege of being at the opening when the youth presented their work. The spirit of these young people, the bonds they formed with each other and their creative response to their difficult situation provided great inspiration to everyone in the theater. You can purchase the DVD with all seven films and a documentary of the experiences the youth had in making the films at http://www.peacingittogether.ca/about.html.Finally, to the administrators, faculty and student body at UCI, may I make the following suggestion: this protest should be seen by all parties as an opportunity. We’ve seen from this event that passions on both sides run deep. The intensity, commitment and belief on both sides are great sources of strength and power. They can be directed towards destruction and death or towards reconciliation and life. The choice is yours.