(JEWISH GROUP) Op-ed: Standing for Dialogue: Reflections on hosting Moumen Al-Natour

On Nov. 11, Tufts Friends of Israel, together with the Department of Political Science, hosted a conversation with Moumen Al-Natour, a Palestinian human rights activist who has spent years speaking out against Hamas. The Center for Peace Communications joined via Zoom to help translate and later share Al-Natour’s story with wider audiences. About 45 students and community members attended. Many told me afterward that they heard perspectives they had never encountered before. That reaction alone made the event worth hosting.

But the afternoon was memorable for another reason. In the middle of the event, three masked individuals burst into the room shouting over Al-Natour , attempting to end the Zoom call and prevent him from being heard. Their interruption lasted about a minute. They left before Tufts University Police Department officers arrived, and we continued without further incident. Still, the moment highlighted something deeper, something I feel compelled to speak about.

What happened in that room was not a peaceful protest. It was an attempt to silence. It was an effort to drown out a Palestinian man speaking about his own life, his own community and his own hopes for the future. Al-Natour is not speaking from the comfort of a college campus. He is in hiding in Gaza. He has already been imprisoned and tortured by Hamas for criticizing its rule. He told us openly that he is being hunted as we speak. And yet he showed his face on our screen without hesitation, speaking calmly, answering questions and expressing gratitude for the chance to be heard.

In contrast, the three students who stormed our event concealed their identities while shouting over someone who has risked everything to tell his story. The contrast was painful to watch. It should trouble all of us, no matter our politics. American college students felt entitled to speak over a Palestinian dissident as if they understood his life better than he does. It was a moment that revealed how quickly moral certainty can turn into arrogance.

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DISGUSTING behavior from people who claim they want the "truth" to be heard!