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Camilo Diaz<\/p>\n
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Fort Worth Report<\/p>\n
Pro-Palestinian students at UT Dallas continued their call Friday, April 26, 2024, for the school to divest in companies supplying arms to Israel. Some representatives briefly met with UTD President Richard Benson to deliver their demands.<\/p>\n
Dozens of Alam\u2019s supporters filled the courtroom Monday. Several people came draped in black-and-white keffiyehs, the scarf that has become a symbol for Palestinians<\/a>.<\/p>\n Attendees raised concerns about what this case could mean for free speech, including Alam\u2019s sister, Najwa Alam Armstrong.<\/p>\n “Honestly, this is really terrifying. Obviously for personal reasons, because of my ties to my one and only sibling, but on a much bigger scale for what this could mean for any other American,” she said.<\/p>\n The war in Gaza has set off fierce debates in the U.S. over whether criticism of Israel is inherently antisemitic. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an antisemitism investigation into Plano ISD<\/a> over allegations that school officials allowed pro-Palestine walkouts. The federal government has threatened some pro-Palestine student protestors with deportation<\/a>.<\/p>\n The war began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages<\/a>. Since then, more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry<\/a>. The World Health Organization has confirmed Gaza is experiencing a famine<\/a>, and a group of genocide scholars has declared Israel is committing genocide<\/a> \u2014 a charge Israel denies.<\/p>\n Cristian ArguetaSoto <\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report<\/p>\n A patron at the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth\u2019s rally for Israel waves an Israeli flag as Jewish community leaders sing a zemirot, or Jewish hymn, on Oct. 10, 2023.<\/p>\n Uncommon Church started flying an Israeli flag after Oct. 7, Lead Pastor Brad Carignan said. He was called to the stand as the first witness in Alam’s case. He was heartbroken over the attack and wanted to show solidarity, he said.<\/p>\n The flag drew Alam to vandalize the church, according to Whelchel. He showed the jury photos of the vandalism, including \u201cF*** Israel\u201d in red paint on a wall and stickers on a church sign and the flagpole. One sticker showed the Nazi flag next to the Israeli flag, and another had the slogan \u201cFrom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.\u201d<\/p>\n While many pro-Palestine protestors use that chant as a call for equality, others see it as a call to wipe out Israel, according to the Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how Carignan saw it, too, he said. When Asante pointed out that Alam and his codefendants wrote \u201cIsrael,\u201d not \u201cJews,\u201d in their graffiti, Carignan said he didn\u2019t make a distinction.<\/p>\n \u201cThe country of Israel is the Jewish homeland,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Asante was largely not allowed to question Carignan about Israel\u2019s actions in the war, including accusations of genocide. Whelchel objected to their relevance, and Judge Brian Bolton agreed. Only when the jury was out of the room was she allowed to ask Carignan in detail about his trips to Israel and his relationship with his brother-in-law, who is a veteran Israeli Defense Force commander.<\/p>\n In an interview after Monday\u2019s proceedings, Asante said hate crime laws are designed to protect people, not foreign nations.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael is a government, and not all Jewish people approve what Israel is doing. Not even all Israeli citizens approve of what Israel is doing,\u201d she said. \u201cSo the state equating the state of Israel, the government, to Jewish people, is actually antisemitic, because it seeks to define the politics of Jewish people in one broad stroke.”<\/p>\n When asked if she wanted to add anything else, Asante said, \u201cFree Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n Whelchel said he cannot comment on a trial before it ends. In a previous statement, a DA\u2019s Office spokesperson said, “Our indictment is based on the evidence.”<\/p>\n The trial began Monday with jury selection. Attorneys for both sides questioned potential jurors about whether they\u2019d be able to put certain biases aside.<\/p>\n Raunaq Alam’s trial is taking place at Tarrant County’s criminal courthouse, the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in downtown Fort Worth.<\/p>\n One potential juror admitted she\u2019d automatically find the accused person guilty if the case involved Israel. Another said he would struggle to apply the hate crime law because he believes all religion is just mythology.<\/p>\n Asante asked potential jurors if it was possible to criticize a country without criticizing its people.<\/p>\n It depends on the country, one man responded.<\/p>\n \u201cSome countries are very integrated with their religion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Another potential juror said separating the two concepts makes sense. He\u2019s from Cuba, and he detests the Cuban government, but not the Cuban people, he said.<\/p>\n Each side was allowed to strike a certain number of potential jurors from the list. Prosecutors struck the man from Cuba \u2014 and another man who agreed with him \u2014 for their responses, Whelchel said when the defense challenged him about it.<\/p>\n Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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