January 28, 1980. Wise Auditorium at the Hebrew University
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in Jerusalem. Some fifty-five years after its founding, with emo-
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tional speeches and a deep sense of Jewish historical import, the
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first Jewish university in the Land of Israel, and the largest,
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watches as its students gather for a “cultural event.” The hall is
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packed to overflowing with more than 600 students who are on
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their feet, singing the anthem. The auditorium fairly shakes as
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the loud, proud voices sing:
In the name of freedom, we shall give our lives,
Arab Palestine is the land of our struggle
We will accomplish the impossible . . . .
We have seen the path from the Negev to the Galilee
Our front will be triumphant.
The “anthem.” No, not “Hatikva.” The anthem. Of Fatah,
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the guerrilla arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
The students of Hebrew University sit. On the stage a pan-
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tomime is being performed. A soldier—an Israeli—is torturing
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“Palestinians.” Suddenly, three figures, faces covered by red
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kafias, leap upon him. As he lies on the stage, prostrate, hands
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outstretched, the three heroes strangle and stab him to death. As
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the pantomime reaches a climax, the students of Hebrew Uni-
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versity are on their feet, cheering and applauding wildly.
The cultural evening ends with the moderator thanking the
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Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine for its contribution
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of IL 10,000. . . .
The place is Hebrew University and the students do indeed
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