Nearly 60 people gathered at a vigil on Oct. 19, organized by the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee “to mourn the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by the ongoing Israeli bombing campaign,” according to the group’s Instagram page. People of all faiths and cultures attended the event, as it was open to all.
The vigil is a response by the St. Louis community to the plight of Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and also to the Israeli civilian lives lost. Candles were passed around and attendees collectively recited the al-Fatiha prayer or “the opening” and its purpose was to ask for guidance. Then, the stage was open to attendees who wished to share their thoughts. Dozens of kids, teenagers and adults shared their experiences by recounting history, reading poems and telling personal stories.
Yousef Shalabi, one of the attendees, read “Do not Reconcile” by Egyptian poet Amal Dunqul. The poem warns the Arab world to not normalize relations with Israel.
Other attendees expressed frustration with the U.S.’s unwavering support of Israel. Kayinat Bhaidani, a political science major at Saint Louis University, said she was disappointed with the way American leaders have handled this situation.
“When you wanna commit genocide you’ll find any reason to. It’s not like this is an act that just happened, they’ve been trying to wipe Gaza off, and they’ll find any excuse to do it,” Bhaidani said.
Palestine Solidarity in St. Louis Emergency Protest on Oct. 22. Photos by Zekhra Gafurova
Hamda Hamed, a Palestinian-American student at Maryville University attended the vigil with her family. She has family in Palestine and when asked how she felt about the U.S. relationship with Israel, she said “I am Palestinian before I am American.”
Towards the end of the vigil, Sara Bannoura, a St. Louis-based journalist, recounted her experience with an Israeli Defense Forces officer at 12-years-old to the crowd. Bethlehem, where she was born, is a city in the West Bank where currently movement is heavily restricted.
When Bannoura and her mother decided to spend a day in Jerusalem, an Israeli Defense Forces officer asked Sara for her permit, and she told him she did not have a permit because she was too young to have an ID. Bannoura told the crowd that the officer looked at her and said, “I don’t care. We are the Gods of this land and you’re my slave. If I tell you you cannot pass, you can’t pass.”
At the end of her speech, Bannoura encouraged the crowd to show up at the St. Louis Board of Aldermen’s resolution hearing the next morning on Oct. 20 at City Hall. The meeting had three resolutions regarding Israel and Palestine. Resolution 133 is in solidarity with the people of Israel and the people of Palestine, Resolution 136 is the St. Louis Board of Aldermen stands in solidarity with Israel and lastly Resolution 137 calls upon the President of the United States to work towards a cease-fire. All three resolutions were introduced to the board and were motioned for hearings.
