To the Editor in response to the Oct. 9 statement “A message regarding the tragic events in Israel and Gaza” by the Office of the Provost,

As a former educator, future social worker and human being, I am deeply concerned by your recent statement regarding the Israeli occupation and the consequent genocide of the Palestinian people. While I sympathize with the Provost’s effort to offer resources as the world grieves, I felt the use of vague language was purposeful in not taking a clear stance against the genocide of Palestinians. I do not need to remind you of the harms of neutrality and “both sides” discourse, but making a statement during a time of great disinformation without providing context only legitimizes apartheid.

Knowing how vagueness can reinforce an insensitive and ahistorical worldview, I would love to discuss in person a new statement to be released to the student body—one that explicitly upholds human rights and social justice for Palestinian people. Primarily, I take issue with the fact that the Office of the Provost not only recognized “Israel” as a legitimate state rather than a colonial project, but the Office avoided using the word “Palestine” or “Palestinians” and instead chose Gaza which seemed intentionally vague. May I remind you that the death toll in Palestine is now higher than shown below and that if all life is precious, Palestinian life must be precious, too. We should not talk about a land without talking about the people. Moreover, genocide is genocide, and it must be named as such. We cannot just call it a “tragedy” without being clear about what the tragedy is—genocide, apartheid, disinformation, and Zionism.

It is hypocritical to have the DU community engage in actions like land acknowledgments and discuss topics such as anti-racism if these things are to be treated as academic theories yet never put into praxis. To release a statement that does not specifically name Palestinians, a largely Indigenous group, on Indigenous People’s Day reflected a lack of empathy in tune with “America’s” great cognitive dissonance. I am full of rage and feel unsafe at DU. Out of love for myself, Jewish people, and all other oppressed peoples of the globe, especially Palestinians, I urge you to reconsider and take accountability for your statement. I believe accountability is an act of love and I expect nothing less from the University’s administration.

I will be available to meet when you are ready. In the meantime, I have attached some resources from Holocaust survivors who were not shy in condemning Israel’s 75-year occupation of Palestine (e.g., Albert Einstein and Gabor Maté to descendants of survivors such as Norman Finkelstein and Jewish Voice for Peace). I would also encourage you to meaningfully engage with Palestinians and Armenians who have described why we must be intentional with our language and provide context to public statements. I do not want resources like therapy because this is not an individual problem and care is not the same as healing. This is a communal and state problem and therefore must be resolved on a communal and state level. For our community, this means educating people on the true nature of global events and courageously investing in liberation. May you find courage in your grief so that we all may heal.

With great sincerity,

Maya Branch