Hisham Awartani, one of three students of Palestinian descent shot [Nov. 2023] in Burlington, Vermont, issued a statement:
It's important to recognize that this is part of the larger story. This hideous crime did not happen in a vacuum. As much as I appreciate and love every single one of you here today, I am but one casualty in this much wider conflict.
Had I been shot in the West Bank, where I grew up, the medical services that saved my life here would likely have been withheld by the Israeli army. The soldier who shot me would go home and never be convicted. I understand that the pain is so much more real and immediate because many of you know me, but any attack like this is horrific, be it here or in Palestine.
The war never ends, it just moves from city to city, feeding on the innocent…
The Pale Notebook 