UNMIA

Lynn Provencio’s reply:

Interestingly, Ms. Gossage mainly takes issue with my characterization of the Arab speakers, that I criticized their comments and personal stories as being politically motivated rather than being stories of alternative peace efforts. She says I don’t show proper sympathy for their afflictions. This is especially true in the case of Ms. Wejdan. Ms. Gossage says I twisted facts to show them in a bad light. However, she didn’t say what facts were twisted or what was the correct interpretation, except in the case of Ms. Wejdan’s return trip to Gaza from the US.

As for the reasons behind Ms. Wejdan’s not being allowed back into Israel the first try, when she returned from the US, we are speculating where we have no facts. While I made the comment about associations rather off-handedly, it makes sense. Ms. Wejdan was a student sponsored by a prestigious American scholarship program, and her PA papers were good enough for her to go into Israel from Gaza and pass through customs at Ben Gurion and then Kennedy Airport on her way to the US. Her sponsors have extensive experience in bringing foreign students to the US to study, including Palestinians. Why did she …

Note: This article is a much expanded version of the first comment on this subject that the UNM Daily Lobo refused to print.

by Lynn Provencio - On Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007 I went over to Dane Smith Hall at UNM in Albuquerque to hear the presentation of “Three Jerusalem Women Speak”, which was billed as being alternative voices speaking for peace and non-violent solutions to the Israeli-Arab conflict. Actually none of the women was from Jerusalem, but maybe they just didn’t want to reprint their pamphlets.

The “Women Speak” tour is a production of “Partners for Peace“, and is sponsored by UNM (International Studies Institute, Religious Studies, Womens Resource Center, and Women Studies) and the Middle East Peace and Justice Alliance (MEPJA), (which is affiliated with the Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center and the International Solidarity Movement, a part of the International Communist Party).

The guest speakers were:

• Wejdan Jaber: A Muslim Palestinian, Ms. Jaber was awarded a USAID “Clinton Scholarship,” in 2000 and a Master’s in Public Administration and International Management from the Monterey Institute for International Studies, Monterey, California, in 2002. Born in …

The new school year has started, and UNMIA is coming back too.

If you are interested in Israel Advocacy on campus, email info@unmia.com and get started today!
Several of our founding members have graduated, so there is plenty of opportunity for new people to have a voice in UNMIA.

UNMIA’s first semester and first month as an organization is past, and it was a very active month. We formed and were incorporated in early April, worked on becoming known and gaining funding, attended three events, put up the website and weathered a small controversy.

We would like to thank all our officers for taking this on and doing a good job at the busy end of a semester.

To the UNMIA officers and members and to all the UNM students, have a good summer and success in whatever is coming up next for you!