US students set up memorial for Palestinians killed by Israel

Students at the Oberlin College in the US set up a memorial last week for 34 Palestinians who were killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza earlier this month.

The student group Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine, in cooperation with Oberlin Jewish Voice for Peace, established the memorial in order to commemorate those killed in the attacks, which were launched by Israel to assassinate the group’s leaders.

The memorial calls out Israel for “killing 34 unarmed Palestinian civilians, including 8 children. Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine and Oberlin Jewish Voice for Peace has created this installation to commemorate the lives of these 34 Palestinians who died at the hands of Zionist Settler Colonialism.”

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The Israeli air strikes on 12 November were conducted for the purpose of assassinating Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza Bahaa Abu Al-Ata and its leader in Damascus Akram Al-Ajouri. Al-Ata was killed along with his wife, while Al-Ajouri narrowly escaped.

The strikes resulted in the continued Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the following days and the deaths of 34 Palestinians – many of whom were unarmed and were not part of the group – including eight members of one family. Another Palestinian succumbed to injuries and died two days ago, however, raising the death toll to 35.

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The Oberlin College, a liberal arts university in the US state of Ohio, has long been associated with pro-Palestine and politically Left views.

In 2016, some students put up a banner stating that their tuition fees pay and fund the genocide committed by Israel and the occupation of the Palestinian territories.