The U of O protest continues into the second week: Day 8 recap

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Israeli airstrikes on Rafah spark emergency protests in Ottawa

May 6 officially marks a full week of student protests at the University of Ottawa, calling for complete divestment and disclosure from Israel-affiliated companies and institutions. The converted encampment has grown significantly over the course of a week; Read a summary of the development of the protest here.

Organizers tell Fulcrum that organization and sustainability were key topics discussed during internal meetings throughout the morning and early afternoon – including sanitation, composting and food logistics.

Earlier in the day, Israel had announced that airstrikes would begin in Rafah, a city at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip. Israel dropped thousands of leaflets ordering Palestinians to leave the area; Meanwhile, thousands of Israeli protesters gathered outside the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, urging their government to accept a ceasefire and bring the hostages home.

Late in the afternoon, news sources began reporting that Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire negotiated by Egypt and Qatar, but that the terms were different from the proposal Israel had agreed to, and that Israeli military operations would continue.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a statement just after noon that “the military incursion will plunge this crisis into an unprecedented level of humanitarian distress,” with many countries including France, Germany, Norway, the US and neighboring Egypt expressing their opposition.

Opposition has been expressed for months against a military operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge. The prime ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand described the operation as “catastrophic” in a joint statement in February.

“We urge the Israeli government not to take this path,” the statement said. “Citizens simply have nowhere else to go.”

The airstrikes prompted the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Ottawa to organize an emergency protest, starting at the Human Rights Monument at the corner of Elgin and Lisgar Streets near Ottawa City Hall at 4 p.m.

The protest arrived on Cumberland Street – the eastern boundary of Tabaret Lawn – around 5:30 p.m. Police liaisons escorted the large ensemble as they drove onto Laurier Avenue East and stopped in front of the entrance to Tabaret Lawn.

The leaders of the protest expressed solidarity with their counterparts protesting at the Tabaret Lawn, calling on the university to divest and calling on the government of Canada to issue an arms embargo.

One speaker noted that hostilities will not end with a ceasefire, and that this began with the “illegal occupation of Palestine in 1948 and will not end with anything less than the complete dismantling of the Zionist state.”

• With files from Amira Benjamin

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