On Thursday, Oct. 19, in a classroom behind the Kemper Art Museum, lights dimmed and about 30 students, professors, and members of the community watched a screening of “Naila and the Uprising,” a documentary film about Palestinian resistance during the First Intifada in the late 1980s. The showing was organized by “Resist WashU” and was advertised as a “Solidarity Screening,” according to their Instagram page. 

The film follows the story of Naila Ayesh and several other female leaders as they organize and resist Israeli occupation through means of nonviolent protest. Weaving together Ayesh’s story with traditional, documentary-style footage and illustrated animations, the film highlighted the role women took in the First Intifada.

Their efforts ranged from leading local communities in creating their own resources to more official political involvement — culminating in the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the Oslo Accords. “Naila and the Uprising” approaches the events and conflict through a feminist lens.

After the film, viewers came together in conversation about the documentary and reflected on the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas: how it has affected them and WashU as a whole. 

The event organizers, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns following online threats, hoped that the screening would serve as a space for people to stand in solidarity with Palestine and create an opportunity for education. Differing from more public protests, the screening offered students a more private space to voice their beliefs and feelings.

“We thought that the documentary screening would be a great way to provide a safe, supportive space for people to come together on campus,” one organizer said.

Another organizer added, “We chose this documentary specifically…to highlight the fact that this occupation has been going on for decades. The violence against Palestinians has been going on for decades.”

A screening attendee whose family is from Palestine, who wished to be anonymous given fears of targeting due to escalating tension on campus, said that conversations on campus have been challenging. She said that the screening offered her an “escape from everything that’s been going on.” 

“On campus there’s been a lot of talk and rhetoric surrounding Palestinians being equated with Hamas and everything they have done,” she said. “Yet, I can’t help but feel frustrated…Something like this happens and gets a plethora of media coverage, yet the years and years of what has happened to us has not received the same attention and the same amount of grief.”

The student found watching the movie to be an emotional experience. “I feel like it’s very hard to explain where you’re coming from, and this documentary does a really great job of talking about it. I really love that the documentary follows [the events of the First Intifada resistance] by showing that the oppression and discrimination and the occupation still continue,” she explained.

She hopes that the movie and screening offered students an opportunity to learn about the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. “I think this was a perfect [option], especially for students who don’t know a lot about the issue but want to learn more. I think this was a good way for people to have a safe space without feeling like they have to speak out or show themselves in the public space,” she said. 

The anonymous student expanded on her sentiments about voicing opinions on this matter in public. “I’m very afraid to kind of partake in other things involving this, just because there’s a large pro-Israel group on campus that has a lot of space…I feel like there’s not that equal space for students who have that different perspective and want to be heard equally.” 

Sophomore Shirine Awad and a fellow sophomore who will remain anonymous (Student Z) debated going to the screening due to safety concerns. Ultimately they decided to come. “When we walked over here, I was like, ‘I feel more nervous to walk into this, more than I would for a test,’” said Awad. “We decided that there comes a point where you have to take up space…you should have your voice be heard,” Student Z said.

Awad mentioned that though she hadn’t seen the film before, she looked it up beforehand. “The poster didn’t have the words ‘come watch this Palestinian screening,’” she said, so she did some research to better understand what the “solidarity screening” would be. “I was really happy with the turnout. It’s good to see that people actually care,” she said.

“My main takeaway, and what I hope people take away, is that there’s always been a Palestinian narrative, and then there’s always been the attempt to erase that narrative,” Z said. She also hopes students will understand the longer context of this conflict. 

“I hope that they don’t brush aside what Palestinians have been subjected to for decades, what they’ve been fighting against. I hope they notice that they’re not fighting against Jewish presence in the area — they’re fighting against oppressive forces that subjected them to dehumanization in their own home,” Z said.

Dr. Angela Miller, a professor at WashU, participated in the screening as a facilitator. “There’s a deep crying need for students on campus to be educated about the history that precedes what has just happened,” Miller said. 

She, like many other viewers, reflected on the feminist perspective that the documentary offered. 

“There was a moment in the late 1980s, around the First Intifada, where Palestine had the support of the U.S. government, and in which a predominantly women-led movement pushed the West toward a resolution — an ending of the occupation. And the fact that it was led by women, I think, is extraordinary. It’s a story that really has been lost,” reflected Miller.

Both Awad and Student Z emphasized the importance of the female perspective that the documentary focused on. 

“Women always play an important role in Palestinian nationalism and in general,” said Awad. She and Student Z specifically enjoyed the part of the documentary that explained the ways Palestinian women’s resistance efforts affected the larger economy, as well as a section of the film that highlighted instances of solidarity between Palestinian women and Israeli women. They explained that only when the women united did the government pay attention to them. “That’s when the government was like, ‘Women are now involved, so we probably should look at what’s happening,’” said Awad.

Though Awad thought that the film could have covered more recent history, she overall felt that the screening was a positive event. Student Z also touched on the recent reactions on campus to the Israel-Hamas war. “I wish there was more acknowledgement for Palestinian history and less one sided condemnation” she said.

This article has been updated to grant anonymity to a student after they reached out with concerns for their safety, October 27.