Bombed Israeli Bus Coming to Berkeley
This Sunday, the 16th, the remains of a bus struck by a suicide bomber will be displayed at Martin Luther King Jr. Park from noon until 3 pm. The AP has details on the exhibit, as well as a planned counter-vigil:

Barbara Lubin, executive director of the Berkeley group Middle East Children's Alliance, which provides aid to Iraqi and Palestinian families, sees the real purpose of the exhibit as "perpetuating the idea that Palestinians are terrorists."

Lubin is organizing a silent "Vigil for Global Justice," to be held across the street from the Sunday rally.

SJP is also mentioned in the article, although there isn't any word on whether or not they will also be making an appearance. I'll be back in Berkeley, and I plan on attending to try to gauge the crowd size and take some photos. For more information on Bus 19, here is a contemporary newspaper article from the CS Monitor.

This will be a powerful symbol in the continuing conflict between supporters of Israel and the Palestinians here in Berkeley. My one comment for now, is that I can't imagine why the organizers of this decided to hold the exhibit on the Sunday before school begins, when hardly any students will be around. This would have been much more widely seen if it was held during the semester. I will have more thoughts after the rally is held.

Commenters, please do not feel the need to wage an argument over the broader Middle East conflict in comments, but instead try to stick to discussion about this specific event.
Email This Post!