ATENEO 4 Palestine (A4P), a volunteer network uniting the various Ateneo schools in the country, continues to call for an end to the ongoing Palestinian genocide through a series of educational initiatives since the network’s launch last June 20.

Spanning a long history of political and territorial dispute, the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land reached new heights last October 7, 2023, when Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip, one of the two Palestinian territories. The assault sparked the ongoing US-backed war, with current reports estimating over 40,000 Palestinian deaths.

Amid the ongoing struggle to reclaim Palestinian ancestral land and halt the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, western governments have kept the global focus on the war. To challenge this narrative, A4P aspires to mobilize the Atenean community in the continued fight for Palestinian liberation, together with similar Palestinian-centered alliances such as Youth for Palestine – Makati and PUP for Palestine.

For a greater cause

In an effort to take immediate action, Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) Deputy Head for Members and Linkages Zar Agravante detailed that A4P was established as a volunteer network to organize Ateneans without the bureaucratic constraints of an organizational structure. According to Agravante, the network is comprised of Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), Ateneo de Naga University (AdNU), AdZU, Ateneo de Davao University, and Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.

“[A4P is a] network, hindi siya organization na bureaucratic [and centralized] in nature na para lang magawa mo itong campaign, kailangan pang dumaan ng ilang proseso,” Agravante expounds.

(A4P is a network, it’s not an organization that is bureaucratic and centralized in nature, wherein for a campaign to be done, it has to go through different processes.)

Through the initial connections made from Buklod Atenista, AdMU Convenor Annika Torres disclosed that various Ateneo political organizations gathered last May, when the need for a system-wide organization for Palestine was raised.

Beginning with the initial convenors from various political organizations, A4P branched out from having three to five point persons per school to a total of almost 400 volunteers across the Ateneo campuses.

Coming from a city with a large Muslim community, AdZU Convenor Niña Torres shared that A4P has been a meaningful avenue to express collective support to the Palestinian people. Agravante added that A4P enables Ateneans to extend the values learned within the Ateneo to the community outside of it.

Driven by these values, Agravante stated that the network established specific goals and points of unity to align all Ateneo schools on a shared platform. These goals include calling for accountability for genocide and war crimes, demanding an end to the US war machine and all forms of oppression, as well as advocating for international solidarity, the right to resist, and the right of return.

In an effort to concretize their goals, volunteers from AdZU recently launched their flagship program, Wednesdays 4 Palestine. Inspired by Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future, the initiative aims to engage the community through educational discussions, cultural performances, and advocacy activities every Wednesday afternoon.

The community’s role

Ultimately, A4P’s initiatives are targeted toward collective learning. According to AdNU student volunteer Jonah Eboña, these plans are carried out with the hope of fostering engagement with the community and sparking their interest in Palestinian concerns.

Moreover, the network aims to translate these educational efforts into mass action. Annika shares how her involvement in past mobilizations revealed the strength of acting in large numbers. According to her, the network’s massive nature empowers its members to participate, knowing that they have a group of people to support them and fall back on.

Agravante’s experience in A4P reflects this sentiment, sharing that collective support is entirely different from individual action. “It validates na may kasama ka and kung ano yung pinaglalabanan ninyo, ‘yun yung tama (It validates that you are joined by other people and that what you’re fighting for is right),” she says.

Agravante asserts that student mobilization is not an individual undertaking. With their activities, the network’s volunteers hope to collectively normalize on-campus discussions surrounding the conflict and eventually lead people to join initiatives even outside of the network.

With A4P composed mostly of students, AdNU convenor Ace Cornejo further underscores their role in efforts to organize. “[The students’] relevance is to become the agents na magmumulat para pagalawin ang masa, para malaman nila yung urgency ng issues (Their relevance is to become agents that spread awareness to mobilize the masses, to make them understand the urgency of these issues),” he remarks.

Furthermore, Annika says that the youth have consistently made an impact on social issues, as demonstrated by movements in the past. “To ally yourselves with the oppressed masses [is] not only fulfilling our historical role, but it’s also a way that we can fight for the future and fight for the society that we will inherit,” she points out.

Beyond the Ateneo

Moving beyond the Ateneo halls, A4P’s objectives entail cementing a long-lasting impact outside the University. With this, Niña foresees A4P as a model system for other schools to follow, maximizing the influence of Ateneo for the promulgation of the Palestinian cause.

Following this, the A4P convenors encourage the masses to partake in the movement, as they hope to recruit more volunteers and amplify the alliance’s reach. “Ang nagd-drive sa network is yung volunteers […] that are vessels in their own right […] na they’re able to educate, organize, and mobilize,” Annika explains.

(The ones who drive the network are the volunteers as vessels in their own right, who are able to educate, organize, and mobilize).

For AdNU convenor Davey Luntok, A4P’s stance also represents a universal call to solidarity as Filipinos who share the plight of Palestinians fighting for their ancestral land. He asserts that taking a stand is “in the pursuit of peace, justice, and liberation not only for the Palestinian people but for all oppressed populace worldwide.”

In line with the Ignatian values of magis and being a person for others, the volunteers consider the network as a culmination of Atenean education directed toward empowering the marginalized. “It’s time for us Ateneans, us Filipinos, to raise the call and mobilize the masses to attain genuine and lasting peace,” Cornejo expounds.

Highlighting the essence of an Ateneo education, Annika says that being called ‘persons for others’ underscores that the institution’s true value lies not in its prestige, but in leveraging education as a platform to serve society, particularly the oppressed.

With upcoming activities such as a Gazan kitchen fundraiser in AdMU, the volunteers intend to enhance their visibility both online and on the ground to move beyond echo chambers. They aim to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the ongoing Israeli occupation through engaging and meaningful discussions.