"I hope it's not true, but it's hard to believethat one man can kill 40 people and wound over 150with just one machine gun. I heard he was standingthere for 15 minutes and there were Israelisoldiers right outside the mosque," Annab said."It's just unbelievable, because [the soldiersare] there to protect both Israelis andPalestinians from fanatics."

Martin Lebwohl '96 co-chair of Harvard Studentsfor Israel, said it was possible that armysoldiers couldn't enter the mosque with peopleentering and exiting during the pandemonium of themoment.

"It is absurd to think that the Israeligovernment could support such a self-destructivemethod that really destroys what they've tried tobuild," Lebwohl said. "I'm sure the Israeligovernment will investigate."

"If anyone can walk in a mosque and shooteveryone, especially during Ramadan, then thisplace is unsafe, contrary to what the Israelis aresaying," Montasser said.

Solidarity and Communication

At the Cultural Rhythms festival Saturdaynight--an event to hail the University's culturaldiversity--dancers from the Hillel wore blackarmbands to express their condolences to thePalestinian victims. Dancers from the Society ofArab Students said they were dancing tocommemorate the victims in the massacre.

Kaunfer said the Hillel launched a newinitiative last week to plan intergroup eventswith the Society of Arab Students.

And Kaunfer said the Hillel would offer to helpwith any memorial service or the Islamic Societyplanned to organize.

"I hope this won't affect the relationshipsbetween our two groups," said Kaunfer. "No one atHillel feels the way this man felt."

Jewish students were quick to point out thatthe assailant represented a militant "fringegroup" and not the views of most Jews.

Annab said he agrees. "Obviously, we understandthat the person who did it was a militant, and hedoesn't represent the majority of the Jewishcommunity," he said. "But it takes only one personto destroy peace."

Annab said, however, that he was disappointedby the lack of national uproar about the incident,and he said he hoped the incident would not beforgotten so soon.

"I think that had it been Jewish worshipers,the world would have been in much, much moreupheaval about it. I think even the press in theU.S. has made it seem less tragic than it reallyis," Annab said