As tensions increase halfway across the world and varied reactions circle the globe, students in the University community are voicing sentiments of their own.
With dismay and concern being common responses, students expressed frustration at the use of violence in the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“This is not what [Islam] is about,” said Alrazi Al-Budaiwi, a sophomore journalism major originally from Kuwait.
In the past 48 hours, a violent conflict has been heightening in the Middle East, with three Israeli soldiers killed by a Palestinian mob and retaliations underway on both sides.
Agreeing with Al-Budawai, undeclared freshman Nadia Hasan added that Islam is “about peace and harmony.”
While many are disheartened by the violence, few are surprised. Some have even said that many in the Middle East have never realistically believed peace would come about.
“I was expecting trouble over there,” Al-Budaiwi said.
Undeclared sophomore Michael Robertson said that while he is “very sad” about the situation, he is not surprised.
Rabbi Tal Shachar of the Ahavas Torah synagogue, Eugene’s Orthodox Jewish congregation, used to live in Israel and just recently moved to Oregon. From his experience, he said people in Israel are not shocked by the explosion in violence because it arises from pressures that have been building for a long time.
“One of the reasons that people are taking to the streets right now is because of things that have happened for years,” he said.
Graduate student Orlee Jacobi, who is studying public policy and management, spent six weeks in Israel. She said the media there underplayed the violence.
The violence continued even through the peace process. A year ago, Shachar said, one of his neighbors was kidnapped and beaten by a Palestinian policeman. The incident garnered only a one-time short spot on the news.
“In general, there are a lot more things going on than what is reported because people wanted the whole process to work,” Shachar said.
Even so, he said, there was never a strong belief that peace would occur.
“In Israel today, there’s a national consensus … that the peace process is basically over,” Shachar said.
While the situation is complicated, Al-Budawai raised another issue. He said he thinks the U.S. government is very much on Israel’s side.
On the other side of the coin, Robertson said he thought the government has done a good job of remaining neutral, especially in the past few weeks.
Some members of the Jewish student community on campus have decided to hold off on declaring formal reactions to the entire situation. Senior Judaic studies and political science major Jessica Elkan said that because everything is currently evolving, it is difficult to give an informed opinion at this point in time.
“As a Jewish student, I do not feel that I can make an accurate response to what is going on over there until more information is released,” she said.