On Feb. 20, I walked out of my U.S. history class, thinking of enjoying the weekend ahead of me. When thinking of my plans, I came across a small table with multiple virtual reality headsets. I am a nerd, and I love anything related to technology. I had owned an Oculus Quest 2 some time ago, so seeing a table full of VR headsets, I was pleased to try and figure out what it could be.

I asked the people at the table what was going on and what they were showing. However, they were vague as to what they wanted to say, only telling me, “Please put on the headset.” I decided not to push further and put the headset on anyways.

I had the headset placed on me and began to watch. The video started, and the first thing I saw were blurry images of trees, and faint flags waving in the background. I heard a voice and turned around. A woman sat on a chair, and next to her was an Israeli flag waving in the air. I heard about the Oct. 7 attacks at the Nova Music Festival, and the women started to talk about what happened. However, the rhetoric I heard was the same that Israeli propaganda used to ensure that it was the fault of all Palestinians for the attacks.

I don’t exactly remember the details of what she said next, as it felt all a blur, but I knew I did not want to hear this propaganda. I took off the headset and then spoke to the person, using a lie to say I had to go to a class. Yet, I wanted to know more about what I just walked into.

I went back to the table and asked them what this was about. Again, they were vague, but just as I told them I saw a bit of the video, they finally told me they were with a group called CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis), a pro-Israel advocacy group that intends to expose and counter “anti-Israel narratives” in all institutions, including schools, according to their official website. I was not only disgusted with the fact that they were vague and sneaky, luring people to come to the table, but they were also exploiting the Oct. 7 attacks to spread propaganda.

The debate, or what I like to call the biggest waste of my time, went on for over an hour and a half at most. What I learned from these organizers was that they tried to absolve Israel of all blame, saying it was in the name of self-defense. They said they wanted peace for both sides. They said it was Hamas and, by association, the rest of Palestine that do not want to disarm, and it was the fault of the Palestinians, children included.

I asked about the kids who lost their relatives, reiterating that it was genocidal to attack a particular population. They told me to change my words and say that it was simply a “conflict.” They tried to guilt-trip me, and asked me, “Are you saying it was Israel’s fault for Oct. 7?” I did not answer at the time, because I was tired of hearing Zionist babble. After thinking critically, I dared to say yes.

It was not justified for Hamas to go into the Nova Music Festival and slaughter innocent civilians,but that is not at all what I am saying. Instead, I say that non-state actors will form because there has been a betrayal of trust.

Think of it like this: The U.S. starts to bomb Canada over oil, takes over some of its land and keeps going for a period of more than 70 years. As a response, Canada goes into Vermont and attacks Montpelier by starting a fire at the city hall. The U.S. then responds by firebombing and bombing all of the country for the small attack.

Is it morally right for Canada to attack the city hall? No, of course not; there are people in that hall. However, is it plausible to understand why they did it? Of course, because the U.S. has been attacking them, and they want the U.S. to stop.

What Hamas did was unforgiving and disgusting, and I, as a progressive leftist, concede to that notion. It is in my morality to say that people should not be killed over ideology. What the Israeli Occupation Forces are doing is genocidal, savage, and barbaric. And yet, the United States is still giving over billions of dollars of our money, without our permission, to this genocidal “country.”

I believe that the VR headsets were propaganda because they were spreading pro-Israel rhetoric and used the Oct. 7 attacks to gain sympathy from those who are unaware about the genocide of the Palestinians. Israel’s leader, Ben Netanyahu, is a psychopath who should not be a world leader, period. For what Israel is doing, they do not deserve a penny from us for the genocide they are inflicting on the innocent Palestinians.

I believe that Trinity University has an obligation to stop this pro-genocidal rhetoric from spreading onto campus by divesting from Israel, staying away from companies that give money to Israel and sanctioning those who are in favor or support the genocide that Israel is inflicting onto the Palestinian people.