Lehigh\u2019s Student Political Action Coalition hosted a Solidarity Week from Nov. 17 to Nov. 21, featuring events centered on global justice, student activism and the Israel-Palestine conflict.<\/p>\n
The week included discussions on the current state of Gaza, the history of the conflict and efforts to raise awareness about ongoing conditions in the region. As part of the events, SPAC held a panel focused on solidarity with Palestine.<\/p>\n
Panelists included Nitzan Lebovic, Lehigh\u2019s chair of Holocaust studies and ethical values, Nandini Deo, an associate professor of political science, and Zeinah Latefa, an attorney at Gross McGinley, LLP.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lebovic opened the conversation by discussing solidarity, saying harmful forms of it can make individuals complicit in genocide, as defined by the United Nations\u2019 Human Rights Council<\/a>. He said believing in an \u201cafter Gaza\u201d \u2014 or a post-war normal \u2014 can reflect a detachment from ongoing suffering.<\/p>\n He said many who showed support for Palestinians before the ceasefire brokered on Oct. 10<\/a> have since stopped, which is an example of bad solidarity.<\/p>\n According to the United Nations Children\u2019s Fund<\/a>, most of Gaza\u2019s schools have been destroyed. Lebovic said even though Israeli forces have withdrawn to a designated border, many Palestinians are living in rubble.<\/p>\n \u201cThese conditions are unbelievable, and if somebody thinks that this is something that can be established long-term, I do not know what to think of it,\u201d Lebovic said.<\/p>\n To illustrate bad solidarity, he referenced Holocaust survivor Primo Levi, who wrote in his memoir \u201cThe Drowned and the Saved\u201d that he felt German empathy after World War II was insincere, vague and detached.<\/p>\n Lebovic said true solidarity should feel uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we are in true solidarity with someone who is struggling, we cannot be comfortable with that, and that is totally fine,\u201d Lebovic said.<\/p>\n Deo continued the discussion by addressing international solidarity and complicity. She said nations have historically united against colonialism and imperialism, especially during the Cold War through the Non-Aligned Movement<\/a> which supported developing countries and champions international peace and security.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, she said this kind of solidarity is inconsistent.<\/p>\n Latefa said international law is one reason why colonialism and unjust treatment persist.<\/p>\n According to the United Nations<\/a>, international law is a set of rules, norms and principles that regulate relations between states and other international actors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Latefa said states engaged in war are supposed to uphold protection under international law, including access to food and water, bans on collective punishment and protection for infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a difference between rule of law and rule by law,\u201d Latefa said. \u201cStates like Palestine exist in a state of legal subalternity, where they exist in the legal system but in a subordinate, constrained and marginalized position.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the law is intended to be impartial, yet global powers such as the U.S., China and France<\/a> maintain dominant influence, reinforcing hierarchy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Palestinian cause, therefore, is not an anomaly,\u201d Latefa said. \u201cIt reflects broader patterns, where international law preserves colonial legacies.\u201d<\/p>\n