At a packed forum Tuesday night, scholars pushed for a stronger understanding of the Palestinian position in the current Middle East conflict.
The teach-in, sponsored by HIWAR, a group that aims to foster discussion about political issues in North Africa and the Middle East, included viewpoints from multiple disciplines, drawing on historical, cultural and philosophical analyses of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"Civilians are being targeted by both sides, which under international norms should not be allowed," said Krista Wiegand, a doctoral student in the political science department.
Wiegand identified terrorism by Palestinian groups as a result of the population's lack of autonomy and inability to raise a state military, ruling out legitimate political violence as an option. "Palestinians have a very large number of civilians who have taken violence into their own hands because there is no military," she said. "A larger number of Palestinians are supporting the terrorists because they are the only hope."
Kenneth Surin, professor of literature, analyzed the conflict in the Middle East from a philosophical standpoint. "How is justice to be embodied in our responses to the situation in Israel and Palestine today?" he asked.
"Israel has the right to exist as a state," Surin said, but he also stressed that Palestinians have not yet received a fair deal in negotiations. He critiqued former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak's peace proposal for not allowing for a right of return for Palestinian refugees and implying de facto Israeli control of certain disputed areas.
Surin also criticized the failure of the United Nations to provide aid to Palestinians. "To their lasting credit, many Israelis recognize this quest for justice on behalf of the Palestinian people, and so should the rest of us," he said.
Sarah Shields, professor of Middle East history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, agreed, adding that many possible solutions to the conflict are coming from both sides and that they should all be entertained.
"E-mails coming from the occupied territories are horrific," she said. She listed destroyed water systems and lack of access to health care as major problems facing Palestinians of which many Americans are not aware. "Those things are not being covered by the press in the United States," she said.
Shields also urged the audience to question the motives of current U.S. aid policies. "According to the aid requirements, 80 percent of the money the United States provides to Israel must be used for weapons," she said during a question-and-answer session. "Somewhere in the range of 60 percent of these weapons are built in Fort Worth, Texas."
After someone asked her what individuals can do to help the situation, Wiegand called for more awareness and discourse.
"Most people in this country really don't know what's going on there. Forget the history, they don't know what's going on today," Wiegand said. "If you feel like you have an educated idea of what is going on, regardless of what side you take, just talk to other people and open up dialogue."
Eric Zakim, assistant professor of Asian and African Languages and Literature, also spoke on the culture of Zionism and its effect on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
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