Tahseen Ali Ahmad, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Hisham Awartani are the three Palestinian students who were shot in Vermont. To quote Representative Rashid, “There’s no place safe for a Palestinian.”

I’m printing Hisham Awartani’s dignified and honorable statement to Brown University which is lucky to have him as a student. Because of the shooting Mr. Awartani might never walk again. 

Mr. Awartani said the shooting was emblematic of the broader conflict in a statement after the attack, which was read aloud to students at a vigil at Brown University, where he has been studying.

“I am but one casualty in this much wider conflict,” he said in the statement. “Had I been shot in the West Bank where I grew up, the medical services which saved my life here would likely have been withheld by the Israeli army. The soldier who would have shot me would go home and never be convicted.”

“This is why when you send your wishes and later, candles for me today, your mind should not just be focused on me as an individual, but rather as a proud member of the people being oppressed.”