Seeing both sides of a conflict

One way to attempt deciphering the complex and controversial Israeli-Palestinian relations is to hear both sides of the story. So guest speakers Rashid Khalidi, a professor of Middle Eastern history and an expert on Palestinian culture, and Yael Zerubavel, chairwoman of the Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University, delivered a lecture entitled "The Construction of National Identities: Israelis and Palestinians" in Stiteler Hall on Wednesday afternoon to an audience of nearly 100 students and faculty. With Khalidi's expertise in Palestinian identity and Zerubavel's in Israeli identity, the panel discussion highlighted the origins and modern-day issues surrounding Israeli-Palestinian relations. Khalidi, the director of the Center for International Studies at the University of Chicago, stressed that difficult dilemmas can only be resolved through recognizing history's effect upon the present. "The past is going to have to be confronted," Khalidi said. "There is no other way." Zerubavel, founding director of the Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, emphasized the need to grasp Israeli sentiments -- apart from the media's viewpoint -- in untangling the conflicts. "The majority of American Jews today are much less interested in Israel than before," Zerubavel said. Audience members, who kept the guest speakers busy for over an hour, found the discussion informative and thought provoking. "Rarely do we ever hear people from both sides discuss their personal experiences or even discuss their scholarly ideas without some media intervention," said Nabih Bulos, a College sophomore. "These panels are a great way to gain insight into the workings of the Middle East and would help people make their own judgments on the whole affair, as opposed to relying on a highly inaccurate mixture of religious and political propaganda." Nubar Hovsepian, associate director of the Middle East Center, invited the lecturers as a mandatory supplement to his class, "Contemporary Politics of the Middle East," in which students are studying Khalidi's and Zerubavel's award-winning books. Hovsepian said it was important to open the panel discussion to the public. "One of our mandates is to create intelligent discussion in the University pertaining to the Middle East," Hovsepian said. "We want to create a community of learning rather than a discussion behind barricades."