"The fact that there were two vigils indicates that we might have different stakes in what is currently going on," Abu-Ayyash said. "But the overarching consensus exists that we both hope and pray for peace in the Middle East."

Competing Claims

But as violence in the Middle East continued to flair, tensions between Arab, Muslim and Jewish groups came to a head on Oct. 24 when two events were held simultaneously in Tercentenary Theater.

Harvard Students for Israel (HSI) held a "Rally in Solidarity with the State of Israel" on the steps of Memorial Church, while SAS, dressed in all black, silently stood on the steps of Widener Library at the same time, holding signs bearing the names of all victims of the recent violence.

HSI Vice President Myles Brody '01 says the HSI rally was intended to show support for the state of Israel in its handling of renewed violence.

"In general, we felt disappointment that Israel had made overtures for peace, and they had been utterly rejected," Brody says of the Camp David process last summer. "So we felt it was very important to have a really powerful and thoughtful rally to show our support for Israel in a public manner."

Both groups say the events were meant to mourn the loss of life during the conflict, but the separate events showed the clear political and ideological divisions between the different groups.

"What we have is competing narratives, competing views about what's happened in history, competing views on claims to land, and competing views on what methods are justified in achieving your goals," Brody says.

For example, SAS rejects the idea that Israel had made fair overtures for peace.

"Everyone wants peace, but an unjust peace is both unfair and impractical," said SAS rally organizer Darryl Li `01 in an editorial in The Crimson in October.

And while HSI members have said their rally clearly had the humanitarian message of mourning "all loss of life in the Middle East," SAS members point out that only the names of two Israeli soldiers killed by Palestinian mobs were mentioned by name.

Some SAS members also took offense to the "overtly political" nature of the HSI event, which featured speeches by Martin Peretz, a lecturer in Social Studies, as well as U.S. Representative Barney Frank '61, both of whom placed blame on the Palestinian population for the deaths of its citizens.

"It is wholly irresponsible to tell young people to destroy a nation--Israel--and then be surprised when their lives are taken," Frank said at one point during the rally.

But HSI President Jonathan M. Gribetz '01 says the nature of the conflict makes politics a part of any show of support.