Cake Fuels Cold War
AFTER A TENSE two hours last Thursday lunchtime, in which leaflets and counter leaflets were exchanged in Vanbrugh alongside Israeli cake and snacks, the tense but cordial relations between J-soc and YorkSaw broke down as the issue of terrorism in the Middle East was hotly debated by members of each group.
The J-soc stall, which aimed at promoting the 55th anniversary of Israel’s independence and raising funds for the Laniado hospital’s paediatric unit, was picketed on either side by YorkSaw activists distributing pro-Palestine leaflets. Whilst the two groups kept their distance and vied for student attention, Hugo Bieber, J-soc Chair broke the silence with an offer of cake to both YorkSaw and nouse. The gesture was taken by most, but the event turned sour after Bieber disputed the factual basis of YorkSaw’s leaflet describing Israel as possessing "the fourth largest military in the world". The debate raged with claims by Ed Lewis that "Israel is constitutionally racist", and further descriptions of its actions as terrorist. Bieber’s shock was marked with his retort "I don’t see how you can call removing terrorists terrorism" and his questioning of whether YorkSaw genuinely believed in the future of the Israeli state.
The truth surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continued to be blurred by debate of Israeli settlements in the occupied terrorities(?), and whether Israel is effecting a withdrawal, and the subject of last year’s Israeli action in Jenin came to the fore. The question of whether ‘massacre’ is an apt description of the Israeli military’s attack on the town, (believed to house a number of terrorist groups such as Hamas), which resulted in 54 civilian deaths, rose tensions as David Sammels chipped in with, "Jenin was a tragedy not a massacre", whilst Lewis argued that "a whole population is practically imprisoned" as a result of Israel’s policy. The spat was concluded after an agreement to disagree, with Bieber suggesting to the YorkSaw activists that by accepting Israeli cake they have in effect supported Israel itself, remarking to his colleagues "if ever there was double standards that’s double standards". The passing blows may resonate in further relations between the societies, as any action by either is likely to be fueled with suspicion on its motive.
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