The International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian terrorist protection organization hell-bent on destroying the nation of Israel through the support of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad spoke last Thursday evening on our campus under the guise of “Palestinian activism.” The Islamic Society of the University of Miami, UM’s Arab-American organization, OASIS, and Amnesty International hosted the event.
ISM, which has not endorsed The Road Map to Peace, supports terrorism by advocating the use of jihad homicide bombers against Jewish civilians and employs human shields (usually college students from the U.S. and Britain) to prevent Israeli forces from hunting down homicide bombers. ISM’s speaker, Lauren De Salvo responded to my question regarding her personal view on homicide bombers with, “ISM supports armed resistance and I support those views. I say the Palestinians can carry out their liberation as they see fit.” According to ISM’s website, www.palsolidarity.org, “As enshrined in UN law and international resolutions, we recognize the Palestinian right to resist Israeli violence and occupation via legitimate armed struggle.”
The act of walking into a crowded public area and blowing to pieces young women and children with high powered shrapnel laced explosives does not in any interpretation lend itself to legitimacy or protection under any UN law, international resolution or religious creed. The bombings only serve to push the Palestinian people further into despair and hopelessness through the cycle of violence’s increased elevation and an ever-growing body count of both Palestinian and Jewish civilians.
The goal of peace in the Middle East, the nations of Palestine and Israel living side by side in harmony and equality, does not stand commensurate with the messages of mass murder and Israel’s annihilation spewed by terrorists and their allies such as the International Solidarity Movement. The Road Map to Peace, backed by the PLO, Israel, United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia calls for the immediate cessation of terrorism against Israel as a condition precedent to ending the occupation beginning in 1967 and creating a sovereign Palestinian nation. Peace will never exist in the Middle East without the comprehensive eradication of terrorism, a truly democratic and representative government for Palestine, a recognition of Israel’s right to exist and major economic reforms that will improve the everyday lives of Palestinians.
Last year, ISM’s plan to visit Rutgers University of New Jersey sparked a lengthy statewide protest; taxpayers didn’t want their hard earned money providing a forum for terrorism. Governor Mcgreevey finally ceded to ISM’s free speech rights. While ISM’s message of hate arguably has constitutional protection, The University of Miami must never again use student funds and facilities to provide a platform for those enabling murderous hatred. Does the UM administration know of ISM’s presence on campus? I strongly encourage all those disgusted and outraged by ISM’s presence on our campus to contact director of student affairs, Patricia Whitely at pwhitely@miami.edu or UM student body president, Scott Sadowski at ssadowski@umiami.edu.
Pete Trombadore is a sophomore Business Administration major . Contact him at stopglobalterrorism@yahoo.com.