New leader for Palestine gets notice

When Rania Jubran visited the Gaza Strip, she was struck by the lack of hospitals and… When Rania Jubran visited the Gaza Strip, she was struck by the lack of hospitals and available clean water. But she is one of many students at Pitt who has a reason to be concerned — or maybe hopeful.As the president of Students for Justice in Palestine, Jubran has made a number of trips to the region, which is now influenced by Mahmoud Abbas, the newly elected president of the Palestinian Authority.

Jubran described Abbas as a man who lived among the people. He is “political, diplomatic, non-militant and more realistic,” Jubran said. She does not believe that there will be any immediate changes as a result of the election but is hopeful that conditions — economic conditions, in particular — will improve with negotiations.

Abbas was officially declared the winner of the election on Jan. 10, and the election marked the first in a decade. Since the election, people throughout the world have wondered if changes might develop between the Israeli and Palestinian people.

Aaron Weil, executive director of Hillel Jewish University Center, said he hopes some sort of peace can be achieved between Israelis and Palestinians, but his optimism is beginning to wane.

“There was a lot of hope in Israel once Arafat died,” he said. “I’ve spoken to Palestinian students on campus who agree with this, that there could be no peace with Arafat in power.”

Weil said his hope for the future has faded because Abbas, a former prime minister, has demonstrated his support for the actions of known terrorists by being seen with them in public.

The presidency of the Palestinian Authority opened up after the November death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The results declaring Abbas the winner did not come as a surprise, as he had a large amount of public support, winning with approximately 66 percent of the vote.

Iman Moawad, vice president of the Muslim Student Association, is unsure about what is in store for the Palestinian and Israeli people as a result of this election, but she said she can’t help feeling hopeful.

“No one really knows what to expect,” she said. “Everyone is just watching and waiting.”

While tensions in the Middle East might remain high, Moawad said the environment at Pitt provides a place where people of all faiths can be friends.

“It’s not like we meet and say, ‘Hi, I’m Arab,’ ‘Hi, I’m Israeli,'” she said. “We have classes together, we are neighbors first, and then it comes up. By that point, we’re already friends and it doesn’t matter.”

“I have many Israeli and Jewish friends that I can sit down with and have a conversation,” Jubran said.

While positive about the relationship between the two faiths, Jubran acknowledged that tension could exist between any two opposing groups in the United States.

“When you have two different groups, they believe what they want to believe,” she said. “So there may be some tension [between people of the Jewish and Islamic faiths], but as a general rule, I don’t see it.”

Weil believes that the avenues for communication in the United States help people of all religions to be friends.

“In general, the United States is a neutral zone where people who don’t get along with each other sit at the bar together and have coffee,” Weil said.

Hillel JUC hosts a monthly program called “Challah and Allah,” in which students from all backgrounds can gather to make challah, traditional braided Jewish bread. The students make, bake and eat the bread together. While doing so, they have the opportunity to talk with one another and discover some commonalities.

Hillel is on good terms with the Islamic Studies Group at Pitt, Weil said, and they have a “great relationship and attend each other’s programs. In religious groups, in general, there is a greater understanding.”