Oct. 7 Statement From Students For Justice In Palestine At Rutgers

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Oct. 7 was the one-year anniversary of Hamas' invasion into Israel, where more than 1,200 men, women and children in Israel were killed by Hamas fighters; 251 people were kidnapped by Hamas, with 33 killed in the past year and 101 still held captive by Hamas.

Oct. 7 also marks the ensuing Israel-Hamas war that has killed tens of thousands in Gaza, plus Hamas fighters in Lebanon.

On Monday, a Rutgers student group called the Muslim Public Relations Council said they will hold a protest at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 to protest the invitation of Mosab Hassan Yousef onto campus by another student group, Students Supporting Israel–Rutgers New Brunswick. Yousef is an ex–Palestinian militant who defected to Israel; he has since made a career out of speaking critically about Hamas.

Yousef is expected to speak at 9 p.m. Tuesday on the Rutgers campus.

The Muslim student group called Yousef "a well-known promoter of anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and Islamophobic views, as well as a documented collaborator with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency ... Mosab has repeatedly vilified Islam, comparing it to Nazism, and has called for the complete eradication of the religion."

Separately, the Rutgers chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) released their own statement Monday. In August, Rutgers banned SJP from operating on campus, saying they violated university rules for protesting. Rutgers never specified exactly what rules SJP violated, but Rutgers said SJP cannot organize on campus until July 2025.

In response, SJP said in August they "refuse" to follow the suspension, calling it "an act of repression and anti-Palestinian racism."

Here is their statement in full:

October 7th 2024

Students for Justice in Palestine-- New Brunswick

A Year of Heartbreak, Strength, and Steadfastness

"A year ago today, on October 7th, the Palestinian resistance launched the Al-Aqsa Flood offensive strategy to break out of the 17-year-long open-air prison of the blockaded Gaza Strip. The Zionist Entity, in its retaliation, calls their actions “justice”; however, the people of the world know that this is a genocide. Anywhere from 42,511 to 186,000 or even more Palestinians have been murdered since this time last year, and over 10,700 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank.

While Zionists maintain the argument that the slaughter of civilians is purely a means to defeat Hamas, the Occupation's current assault on the West Bank, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria proves otherwise. For a year, we all have seen the cruel and unrelenting actions of Israel as the state’s thin disguise of righteousness has been lifted off in front of the world. And still, our country, state, and school remain complicit in the continuation of this genocide.

As the Students for Justice in Palestine– New Brunswick, our focus is on severing all of our school’s ties with Israel as part of the larger mission of the Palestinian struggle. And as we stand here today on one full year of heartbreak and immeasurable loss, we must take a moment to reflect on the greatest form of resistance that Palestinians have in fighting the Occupation: our existence.

Israel has spared no expense in trying to extinguish any traces of Palestinian life. This is because it knows that the presence, even the mere mention of the true indigenous people of its stolen land, undermines its claims of ownership. Any Palestinian life or piece of truth can compromise Israel’s flimsy narrative of half-truths and blatant lies. 130 reporters, over 885 healthcare workers, and over 294 aid workers have all been killed by the Occupation in this past year. Liberation will not be met with a ceasefire. Liberation will not be met with a compromise.

Liberation will only be met when all traces of Zionism are extinct, and the indigenous people of Palestine have sovereignty over our land.

Despite the consistent, violent barrage from Israeli forces on the Palestinian people, they have remained steadfast and resilient in the face of oppression. Whether in Gaza or the West Bank, the people of Palestine have stood proudly while ash and fire fall from the sky above.

Their calls for resistance have been met, and their calls for an end to this brutal genocide have certainly been heard. There is nothing that the people of Palestine do that we do not witness with admiration.

Our organization and our cause would be nothing without the brave survivors and martyrs of Palestine. October 7th will remain in our hearts as a day of pain and tragedy, as the start of a genocide, but it will also forever be the first day of Israel’s complete disintegration and the steady movement towards the freeing of Palestine from the river to the sea."

Related: Rutgers Suspends Students For Justice In Palestine For A Second Time: The student group said in August they "refuse" to follow the suspension. "Rutgers, this is strike two," the students warned. (Aug. 27, 2024)