During Georgetown University's graduate ceremony, Palestinian graduate Nooran Alhamdan gave the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken the cold shoulder, refusing to shake hands with the diplomat. 

In an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen English, Alhamdan revealed that her decision not to shake hands with the US Secretary of State was "completely impromptu".

#Palestinian student Nooran Hamdan bravely raised the Palestinian flag at #Georgetown university, refusing to shake hands with #US State Secretary Antony Blinken who was present at the graduation.@nooranhamdan pic.twitter.com/lxW10238K8

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 23, 2022

She proceeded to explain, "My peers and I had operated on the assumption that Secretary Blinken would leave commencement following his address to the graduates. I was surprised at the moment that he would remain on stage."

She said she made a split-second decision to "bypass him and instead convey a message to him." 

As Alhamdan passed by Blinken, she spoke up saying, "We demand an independent investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh's murder and we demand an end to all American aid to Israel."

Statement from @ccasGU students at @georgetownsfs who protested @SecBlinken at their graduation.

"We demand an independent investigation into the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh, & that the United States halt military funding to the criminal state of Israel."https://t.co/hnBYmIbsXk

— Institute for Palestine Studies (@PalStudies) May 24, 2022

What prompted this move, according to Alhamdan, was "how unjust it is that American officials can be celebrated as champions of public service while destroying the lives of Palestinians and Arabs." The Palestinian graduate specifically cited Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell whom Secretary Blinken particularly honored in his address to students, "who in my opinion were responsible for war crimes," she said.

Alhamdan and her peers donned the keffiyeh and carried posters of martyr Shireen to display their solidarity to the whole world, confirming that both "Arab and American students with no Arab heritage participated in this action."

Following the incident, The Palestinian graduate later tweeted that Blinken approached her saying, "I hear you," but he instantly started walking away the moment she brought up the issue of halting aid to the Israeli forces. She explained that this attitude of the top US diplomat symbolizes how Washington "deals with the Palestinian question." 

In the context of how different US sides handle such issues, Alhamdan said that although "Democrats, in particular, are [becoming] increasingly aware of Israel's crimes, and many of them will not defend Israel's actions... they still reprimand Palestinians who dare to speak out," using the alleged claim of being "antisemitic (as seen most evidently by how Democrats responded to Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib when they have spoken about Palestine in the past)."

She further stressed that politicians are willing to call out Israeli crimes without holding the Israeli entity accountable. 

Abu Akleh; a symbol of Palestine 

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In response to how the US is dealing with the deafening silence toward the murder of the Palestinian journalist Abu Akleh, she said it is essential to connect her martyrdom to the larger Palestinian struggle for liberation. 

Alhamdan stressed that "the Palestinian response to Shireen's murder mirrors the Palestinian response to the ethnic cleansing taking place in Sheikh Jarrah and the Palestinian response to the Great March of Return in Gaza."

She elaborated that "Palestinians rejected the fragmentation of Oslo, and came together, both in historic Palestine and in the diaspora."

"We are a people who refuse to be divided. The murder of Shireen points to the larger injustices Palestinians face at the hand of the Israeli settler-colonial project," Alhamdan confidently told Al Mayadeen English.

On a personal level, she revealed how the murder of Abu Akleh and other Palestinian men, women, and children impacted her. "It is difficult to go through the normalcy of life knowing that Palestinian lives are not valued on the international scale," she said. 

"Organizing this action with my peers was therapeutic, and speaking out against Israeli injustice is a duty that grounds me and reminds me of my purpose as a Palestinian American woman," Alhamdan stressed. 

Anti-colonialism in US schools 

In light of the recent event, one can't help but ask about the extent of anti-colonialism in US schools. Nooran Alhamdan confirmed that anti-colonialism is in fact flourishing and has been present in past generations.

"The struggle against settler-colonialism is present in every drop of ink that is written about Palestine by Palestinian academics, such as the founders of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) at Georgetown University, Hisham Sharabi and Hana Batatu," she explained. 

Alhamdan added that "academic allies to the Palestinian cause such as the late Michael Hudson, former director of CCAS, have paved the way for the current generation to view the question of Palestine through an anti-colonial lens."

She mentioned that the Middle Eastern Studies Association passed "a historic resolution in support of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement," adding that "no academic with principles and a conscious can ignore the settler-colonial nature of Israel and the valiance of the Palestinian people."

Eyes on Palestine 

In response to a question on whether there are any changes in the American public perception of the Palestinian cause, Alhamdan stressed, "There absolutely is." She revealed that in New Hampshire, where she grew up, there wasn't a large Palestinian community. 

Taking her hometown as an example, she explained that when she was younger, no one in her town knew anything about Palestine. Going back to her home state now, "I find that so many people know about Palestine," she said.

She added, "My peers who once debated me about my own existence now post regularly about Palestine on their social media," emphasizing that "the tide is shifting immensely, and this is exactly why the anxieties of the pro-Israel punditry is at an all-time high."

Alhamdan concluded that "we must continue to ride this momentum until even the average American is adhering to BDS and demanding accountability for Israel from their local politicians."

"I believe that we will see this change in our lifetime and that it will result in Israel no longer being a bipartisan issue that receives unconditional support in the United States."

Read next: Palestinian graduate refuses to shake hands with Blinken