On Nov. 11, Tufts Friends of Israel, together with the Department of Political Science, hosted a conversation with Moumen Al-Natour, a Palestinian human rights activist who has spent years speaking out against Hamas. The Center for Peace Communications joined via Zoom to help translate and later share Al-Natour’s story with wider audiences. About 45 students and community members attended. Many told me afterward that they heard perspectives they had never encountered before. That reaction alone made the event worth hosting.
But the afternoon was memorable for another reason. In the middle of the event, three masked individuals burst into the room shouting over Al-Natour , attempting to end the Zoom call and prevent him from being heard. Their interruption lasted about a minute. They left before Tufts University Police Department officers arrived, and we continued without further incident. Still, the moment highlighted something deeper, something I feel compelled to speak about.
What happened in that room was not a peaceful protest. It was an attempt to silence. It was an effort to drown out a Palestinian man speaking about his own life, his own community and his own hopes for the future. Al-Natour is not speaking from the comfort of a college campus. He is in hiding in Gaza. He has already been imprisoned and tortured by Hamas for criticizing its rule. He told us openly that he is being hunted as we speak. And yet he showed his face on our screen without hesitation, speaking calmly, answering questions and expressing gratitude for the chance to be heard.
In contrast, the three students who stormed our event concealed their identities while shouting over someone who has risked everything to tell his story. The contrast was painful to watch. It should trouble all of us, no matter our politics. American college students felt entitled to speak over a Palestinian dissident as if they understood his life better than he does. It was a moment that revealed how quickly moral certainty can turn into arrogance.
But it also strengthened our commitment to what Friends of Israel stands for. We will not be intimidated by agitators who scream instead of engaging. We will not allow intimidation tactics to define our campus culture. And we will not stop creating spaces for dialogue, even when that dialogue is uncomfortable.
We encourage those who disagree with us to attend our events. Listen. Take notes. Challenge us during the Q&A. Share your views. You do not have to agree with our speakers, and you do not have to agree with us. But a university should be a place where disagreements are aired in good faith and where ideas are confronted with arguments, not volume.
Al-Natour’s voice is one among many, and we want to be clear about that. No single speaker can represent an entire people, especially in a conflict as layered and emotional as this one. Palestinians hold a wide range of views, including many who do unfortunately support Hamas. Our goal in hosting this event was never to present a spokesperson for the Palestinian opinion, but simply to let one man share his own lived experience. His perspective adds to a broader conversation rather than standing in for it. We believe campuses benefit when they make space for a diversity of voices instead of reducing complex communities into a single story. The Center for Peace Communications, whose Instagram page highlights dissident voices from across the Middle East, works to amplify individuals like Al-Natour who often cannot speak safely at home, and we were proud to partner with the organization in that effort.
We also want to acknowledge that the disruption did not define our event. Ultimately, it was a flash of noise, nothing more. The substance of the afternoon — the stories Al-Natour shared about life under Hamas, the questions students asked about the ceasefire, the reflections he offered on the future of Gaza — continued uninterrupted. People stayed long after the program ended to talk, process and thank us for bringing something new to campus. Many said they left with a fuller, more nuanced understanding of a conflict they had previously encountered only through headlines and social media.
Democracy, dialogue and coexistence do not emerge from people shouting each other down. They emerge from moments like these — moments when someone with a very different background sits with us, even virtually, and trusts us enough to tell his story as he sees it. Moments when students listen, wrestle with ideas and challenge themselves to think more deeply.
Our campus needs more of that, not less. And we will keep working to make sure it happens.
Friends of Israel will continue to host speakers from a range of perspectives. We will continue to welcome everyone into our events, even those who disagree with us. And we will continue to stand by the belief that hearing from real Palestinians, Israelis and others directly involved in this conflict is better than shouting into an echo chamber.
Al-Natour showed extraordinary courage by speaking with us. The least we can do is show the courage to listen.
