On January 15th, 2025, the Prime Minister of Qatar announced to the world that a ceasefire had been reached between the warring states of Palestine and Israel. Accordingly, on January 19th, the Palestine-based armed group Hamas—declared a terrorist organization by the US, UK, and Israel— released three female Israeli hostages in exchange for the return of ninety Palestinian prisoners. On January 25th, four more female Israeli hostages were released in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The ceasefire comes after a long, destructive fifteen months of fighting between Israel and Palestine that began after October 7, 2023, when Hamas led an unprovoked attack from the Gaza strip on Israelis living on or near the border. They killed a reported 1,200 people and took around 250 Israeli hostages back to Gaza. Consequently, the Israeli government declared that they were in a state of war and began a series of air strikes as well as a ground-invasion that began on October 27, 2023. According to a Hamas-run medical organization, an estimated 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks, many of them civilians.
While most of the devastation from this conflict is occurring on the other side of the world, many students at Winona State University find this issue to be an important one to talk about and be educated on. Since the United States is heavily involved in trying to broker peace between the two states, this seemingly distant conflict has been a highly politically polarizing issue. And while those in the US may not bear the brunt of the catastrophic violence occurring overseas, Dr. Yogesh Grover, professor of Political Science teaching international relations and affairs at Winona State, notes that students have a duty to educate themselves on what is going on in the world around them.
“Students should be educated so they can have positive impact in terms of resolving these conflicts in a fair manner.” Grover said.
However, it can often be hard for students to find a desire to educate themselves on these topics because they are long, complicated, and may seem irrelevant to their everyday lives. In response, Dr. Grover said “[it vital for] instructors to play a more active role in incentivizing their students in discussing global issues in class.”
College could and should be treated more so as a forum for discussing global issues in a civil manner in the hope of becoming more educated and involved on important things occurring throughout the world.
For students looking to become more politically active, educated, and engaged, joining political clubs can be a beneficial means of exploring political issues outside the confines of a classroom. The political climate on this college campus reflects that of the larger United States on a micro scale. Students in the College Republicans club here at Winona State have had many discussions about what is going on in Gaza right now.
President of the club, Sydney Crowe, says that “From the October seventh attacks that started the war to today, we cover the updates in the conflict…Our members all agree that we are pro peace and ceasefire and an end to religious warfare entirely. We support aid to the innocent parties regardless of nationality.” However, she notes that “From what has been visible on and off campus, there were many protests against Israel and in support of Palestine…It felt as though mention of support for Israel was met with a negative response.”
The Winona State College Democrats club also has thoughts on the issue. Club president Nicholas Fryer said that “there was a passionate group of students advocating for a ceasefire to happen in Gaza and there were some in our club that felt frustrated that a ceasefire deal wasn’t near. I totally get that frustration,” However, he noted that the club “Thought it was best to leave the Gaza issue to other students who want to be a voice on that issue,” instead focusing club members on more domestic issues. Regardless, Fryer said that “civil conversations are the best way to go among the WSU student body.”
What is a Winona State student to do in the midst of so much political turmoil both inside the country and out of it? We must educate ourselves. The conflict between Israel and Palestine far antecedes the fighting that has been going on since the end of 2023, and it is each person’s duty to learn for themselves the history of this conflict and form fully educated opinions before engaging in discussion about the best way to move forward.
