Seton Hall's Students for Liberty will plan a demonstration to create awareness among students about the recent conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians at 2 p.m. on Thursday on the Green, according to SFL's President and founder Belal Behader.
The demonstration will focus on the clashes between Gaza and Israel, said Anthony DiFlorio, SFL's vice president and freshman international relations and modern languages major.
According to Behader, a freshman diplomacy and sociology major, the club is not siding with either country, but is in favor of liberty and human life.
DiFlorio sees this pressing issue as something that students should know about.
"As university students pursuing skills which will be used to benefit the greater society and world in the future," DiFlorio said. "It is imperative that in our youth we learn about different cultures, societies and the injustices and struggles (citizens of Israel and Gaza) endure in order to better understand our own and work to equally quell them both."
He also said that not being informed about current events can hinder solving problems.
Although he has no personal ties to either country, DiFlorio said he still sees it as important to show his concern in the upcoming demonstration.
"I'm not personally affected; I don't have family in Palestine or Israel," he said. "I've never traveled to the region. I don't speak Hebrew or Arabic. But as a person who cares about human life and has a low threshold for indignation, the ongoing struggle affects me greatly, as it does for millions of others who sympathize with those affected by war."
DiFlorio said he has educated himself about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by reading about the history.
He and Behader said they encourage students to look for signs about the demonstration and hope to raise awareness among their peers.
"The future is in the young generation's hands and change will only be evident if we seek it, which we have the power to do," Behader said.
Tiffany do can be reached at tiffany.do@student.shu.edu.
