A ‘living nightmare’: Haverford student speaks to fear among Palestinians

A version of this trauma has rippled out to Philadelphians of Palestinian descent and across the country.

Arab and Jewish communities in the United States have experienced rising hatred and violence since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 others hostage. Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza has since killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry.

Authorities are investigating Saturday’s shooting as a potential hate crime. Suspect Jason Eaton, a 48-year-old white man, pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder.

Abdalhamid, Ahmed, and Awartani each attended the Ramallah Friends School, a private institution with Quaker roots that sticks out as a well-funded school in the resource-choked West Bank. Swarthmore College Professor Sa’ed Atshan, a 2002 graduate of the school, advised Abdalhamid and Awartani as they applied to college in the U.S.

“It’s really shocking that this could happen in Burlington, Vermont,” said Atshan. The state has a progressive reputation, from its politicians to its ice cream companies.  

“It reflects the extent to which the dehumanization of Palestinians and racism against Palestinians has become entrenched in the United States,” he said.

Tala Qaraqe, a close friend of Kinnan at Haverford who also grew up in the West Bank, said she still wears a keffiyeh despite her visceral fear of being targeted.

“If we keep just giving up on our identities … We’re just gonna have nothing left,” she told her mother over the phone, arguing about whether she should remove her checkered headscarf for safety on the SEPTA ride home.

Abdalhamid was Qaraqe’s cultural anchor as she adjusted to college life in Pennsylvania. Abdalhamid helped her with biology homework, turned casual conversations into philosophical debates, and held space for Palestinian voices on campus.

“I’m really honored to be his friend,” Qaraqe said.