Gaza Ceasefire Sit-In Ongoing At Delco College

HAVERFORD, PA — Haverford College students demanding the school's administration call for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war are still staging their sit-in protest.

The sit-in began at 7 a.m. Wednesday in Haverford College's Founders Hall and is organized by Haverford Students For Peace.

Students are participating in the sit-in indefinitely until the administration supports an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to "take accountability and implement restorative action for their neglectful rhetoric and amplification of harmful language, which has breached student trust."

"Nuances and implications associated with the topics the students have raised are the subject of many ongoing conversations," a Haverford College representative told Patch in an email Friday as the sit-in continues.

The group said it is "escalating" its action "in response to the administration's incomplete and lackluster initial response to our demands, which left many only partially answered and some completely ignored."

According to Haverford Students For Peace, 693 students, about 48.4 percent of the student body, have signed their names in support of these demands as of Tuesday. Those include 24 other on-campus student organizations, such as affinity groups, art and performance groups, social clubs, and justice-oriented groups. Additionally, 121 Haverford alumni have joined the group in calling for the administration to meet those demands.

"We regard the process of engaging with students as a living example of what it means to be a vibrant and dynamic learning community," the representative said. "With respect to the sit-in, we support our students’ rights to expressive freedom and peaceful protest while together advancing our shared educational goals for Haverford."

Haverford College student Kinnan Abdalhamid was shot alongside his friends Hisham Awartani and Tahseen Ahmad on Saturday, Nov. 25 in Vermont. All three are Palestinian and Jason J. Eaton, 48, was charged with three counts of attempted murder in connection.

The group said it is meeting with the school's administration at 5:30 Friday to discuss the demands and progress.