Palestinians and Palestinian supporters gathered Wednesday evening to protest the speech by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who spoke about peace and his time as prime minister during his visit to UK on Wednesday at the Singletary Center for the Arts. Photo by Allie Garza | Staff
Rose Avenue paralleled the divide between Israel and Palestine Wednesday evening with the arrival of Israel’s former prime minister Ehud Olmert.
Keffiyeh scarves and Palestinian flags signaled the passionate opposition to Olmert, while a flood of students, faculty and community members came to hear his speech intended to promote peace in the Middle East.
Upon entering the Singletary Center for the Arts, three rows of security inspectors lined the doors checking bags and coats. Inside, two to three security officers stood at every door, with Olmert’s own security personnel at his side.
Before Olmert could complete an opening statement, Palestinian supporters throughout the crowded auditorium shouted comments, such as “shame on you†and “baby killer†to the former Israeli official.
Olmert’s speech was part of the university’s incentives to incite a global dialogue on peace between the two Middle Eastern states.
“We have to expose our students to global newsmakers,†said UK President Lee Todd to open the event.
After a few minutes’ pause, Olmert began his lecture directed toward the protesting of some of the audience members.
“If one knows something about Israeli politics, this is part of our lives,†Olmert said. “I hope they will also be patient enough to listen, they might hear something they don’t know.â€
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speaks about peace and his time as prime minister to UK students, faculty and the public on Wednesday at the Singletary Center for the Arts. Photo by Allie Garza | Staff
The Islamic Society of Central Kentucky, led by Khalad Ghoneim, initiated the Palestinian protests, with a two-pronged message.
“First, we applaud the initiatives for a peace house discussion,†Ghoneim said. “However, we believe the choice of Ehud was not the proper choice.â€
In Olmert’s speech, he attempted to explain his advocation of the killing of civilians on the grounds of terrorism by connecting them to a conversation with President Barack Obama.
“When you find terrorists are shooting from houses of civilians, what do you do?†Olmert asked the audience.
Olmert asked the same question to the then-junior senator from Illinois while he visited the former prime minister’s home.
“I asked him what would be your reaction (to the shootings). He said, ‘If someone would shoot into the place where my two daughters are, and would endanger their lives, I would do everything in my power to destroy them.’ â€
Rasmieh Suleiman reads a protest sign while her daughter, Kawthar, a biology senior, helps tie her mother's wrap during a protest outside the Singletary Center on Wednesday. The Suleimans came out to show their support for the Palestinian people and protest former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's speech and appearance at UK. "I think it's important for people to know he's a mass murderer," Kawthar said. "For him to come speak at my university and for me not to speak out would speak volumes of me." Photo by Allie Garza | Staff
In his speech, Olmert directed attention to Iran as a nuclear threat.
“There is only one leader in the world who openly, proudly and officially declared that he wants to liquidate another country,†he said.
Olmert said dialogue with Iran “will not be effective†and waiting a year to address this issue will be “too late.â€
At the end of his lecture, Olmert received a barrage of questions directed at the allegations of the murder of Palestinian civilians.
“We were attacked for 40 years by terrorists from the north and invaded on a daily basis by terrorists from the south,†Olmert said. “It was not an invention created by Jews, it was created, performed and carried out by Arabs.â€
After this comment, screams and protests erupted from the audience and several women were escorted from the Singletary Center.
UK Police speak to a man who cried out during former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's speech on Wednesday evening at the Singletary Center. The man, who shouted out, "You are a murderer! You killed children!" left Singletary Center after he, and others, became visibly enraged with Prime Minister Olmert's appearance at UK. Photo by Allie Garza | Staff
Islamic Society of Central Kentucky board representative for the Muslim Student Association, Heba Suleiman, contributed to the protest and attended the lecture.
“Everything that he says is just wrong,†Suleiman said.
Journalism and political science freshman Drew Teague felt differently.
“With all the commotion going on, it made for a very interesting debate,†Teague said. “He was very passionate about his cause and that helps a lot when you’re in those kinds of situations and can stand your ground against the people against him.â€
Olmert closed his lecture with a statement on the future for peace.
“We want to live here not at the expense of others, but alongside others, in peace, in mutual respect, in justice,†Olmert said. “I am certain it will happen sooner than most people think.â€
It is a shame that the University of Kentucky allow such a criminal to come and speak of “PEACE?!”.. Someone who not only has caused the death of hundreds of civilians, and kicked hundreds of thousands out of their homes, but has also been accused of corruption & bribery!! Was he the last person on the list of potential candidates or what ??!!
Is Olmert a criminal (personally) just because he was an Israeli politician and had to thread his way through the settler-colonial political scene of his country?
If he is, then by that measure, perhaps President Obama is also a criminal (personally), because he has to thread his own way through the US’s pro-Israel political system and is thus prevented even from criticizing Israel. clearly, President Obama regards himself as prevented from denying Israel its $3B/year US subsidy, prevented from declining to use his UNSC veto on anti-Israeli resolutions, prevented from submitting the Goldstone Report to the International Criminal Court to assess Israeli war crimes.
The problem to which all protesters (of US Israel/Palestine policy) should give thought and action is the terrible transformation of US democracy by well-funded entities (often called “Lobbies”) which use their money to purchase the US Congress and thereby to control Congress and Administration alike. The US Congress acts like an agent of the Hard-Line Pro-Israel Lobby (of which Walt and Mearsheimer have written) even though the people of the US may well abhor Israel’s human rights violations, especially those of the recent attack on Gaza. If protesters think they (and Americans generally) cannot make themselves heard in the mainstream media, they are right — The Lobby controls the MSM as well as Congress and the Administration.
It is not Olmert who should be protested, but the transformation by which US democracy has become “occupied territory”, controlled by a Lobby more concerned with preserving Israeli privilege than with advancing any recognizable US national interest.
First of all, schools have all kinds of people come to speak at schools. its called being diverse. PEACE!! YES!!! No offence but, when you give an inch and people take a mile and you are surrounded by that hate you the last thing you can do is sit back and be weak. Seriously if you lived in a neighborhood and all of your neighbors hated you, they didn’t know you, but they hated you. And everyday you had them telling you they wanted to kill you and shooting at your house and throwing grenades in your yard. Your first responce would be call the cops. But if the cops didnt do anything or maybe were supplying your neighbors with materials or propaganda then what option do you have. Thats right, you fight back. Before you judge someone and call them a criminal maybe you should walk a mile in their shoes. Sorry but if the people over there didnt want retaliation then maybe they should step up and keep the morons that stir up problems down, you know do their job to keep the peace. And if your counter argument is the people are scared to fight back with then that shows the problem is not with Israel but with them lunatics that commit acts of terror.
@pabelmont: I agree with everything you say. I would only add that Olmert was the leader of Israel during the massacre of Gazans this past January. This is what has earned him the label of criminal.
@Rational: If I went into a neighborhood and chased a family out of their house because I believed I was entitled to live there, I couldn’t really complain when they tried to reclaim their property. There has been unjustified violence on both sides. But the massacre over which Olmert presided was a case of Goliath (Israel) trying to crush David (Gaza) simply because he tried to defend himself. And it continues, with Israeli settlements built on Palestinian-owned lands and a continuing embargo against the people of Gaza.