A vigil on Wednesday evening with over 20 community and college organizations honored the more than 15,000 Palestinians estimated to have been killed by Israeli bombings since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. The event held in New Brunswick drew from Jewish Voice for Peace and the Students for Justice in Palestine at Stockton, Drew, Princeton, and The College of New Jersey, as well as Rutgers Universities.
NJ Spotlight News spoke with Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, who has investigated human rights abuses in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
“Human Rights Watch has documented that Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution,” Shakir said. “This is not unique to the recent two months. …We’re talking about years long systematic oppression of Palestinians, including those in Gaza, including the 16-year closure policy of Gaza.”
