A white tent erected on the quad last Monday marked the beginning of the fourth annual Palestine Awareness Week on AU's campus, and symbolizes the plight of Palestinian refugees.
AU Students for Justice in Palestine staffed the tent all week, providing information on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict along with Palestinian food and music.
Students gathered at the tent to socialize during the day, and some even spent the night there to gain a more personal understanding of the lives of some displaced Palestinians.
Additional events offered during the week included speakers, movie screenings and a concert in the Woods-Brown Amphitheater.
The week is designed to help students understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and give them an idea of the daily lives of the Palestinians, said School of International Service master's student Mohammed Abu-Saker, who helped plan the week.
"I don't think the week raises that much awareness in the entire student body, but our presence is important," said Palestinian Lena Mansour, a sophomore in the School of Communication. "It shows that we are here."
Mansour said it is commendable that AU is able to hold an event like this.
"Some of my friends at other East Coast schools are surprised to hear we can have this event on our campus," she said. "I am proud to be here."
Shan Beuthe, the organization's president and a sophomore in SIS, said she believes the tent does raise awareness because the staffers are very open to talking and have information students can use for class papers or for independent study.
SIS sophomore Katherine De Juan said Palestine Awareness Week was an eye-opener for her last year after hearing only the pro-Israel side of the story during high school.
"It actually made me a feel a little uncomfortable," she said. "It was very new for me, but the presentation with the other aspects of Palestinian culture makes it more humanizing than just a newspaper article about how many are dead in Palestine."
AU Students for Israel president and SIS sophomore Rachel Victor said Palestine Awareness Week is good for the campus and has contributed to better dialogue and understanding of the situation.
"I know there are people who are active in both of our groups and people who participated in both sets of events," she said. "At the end of the day, both of our groups have to co-exist to keep the education balanced between the various points of view."
One of the highlights of the week was a discussion with Palestinian Ambassador Afif Safieh titled "The Humanitarian Condition in Palestine and the Potential Impact of Stopping Aid."
The ambassador spoke about humanitarian issues after the election of Hamas. Nothing that changes in Israel-Palestine relations will affect the Palestinian people more than the government, he said.
Mansour described Safieh as a charismatic speaker who uses humor to engage the audience in weighty issues.
"He is very open-minded about the situation and ended by saying the only way we can go forward is with optimism," she said. "The biggest problem in Palestinian society is people trying to halt the occupation with pessimism."
The week ended with the concert Thursday night featuring traditional Oud music, the D.C. Dabkeh dance troupe and Palestinian-American hip-hop artist Iron Sheik.
