Campus event sheds new light on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - The definition of the word unity means the state of being united or joined as a whole. There are 19 major world religions, which are subdivided into a total of 270 large religious groups, exclusive of many smaller ones. However, there is not a single religion that does not promote the concept of unity within its teachings. Being united does not mean that everyone has to have the same views; it simply means that one must accept other people’s views as equal.

On Wednesday Jan. 21, Penn State Harrisburg hosted the “Interrogating the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict” event. The event began at 12:15 p.m. and lasted for about an hour. The academic symposium-panel included Penn State Harrisburg faculty presentations by Dr. Simon Bronner, distinguished professor of American studies and folklore, on his presentation "Israeli perceptions of the Middle East conflict;” Dr. Juliette Tolay, assistant professor of political science and public policy, presenting on "Palestinian Perspectives on the Conflict;" and Dr. Nihal Bayraktar, associate professor of economics, speaking on "Economic Impacts of the Conflict."

The event was co-sponsored by the school of Behavioral Sciences and Education, the Center for Holocaust and Jewish Studies and the Diversity and Educational Equity Committee. Professor Hannah Spector was the event’s host. The round table event focused on the 2014 Gaza strip military operations.

The first speaker of the event was Bronner, who represented the Israeli point of view by breaking down the situation into three parts: religion, real estate and history. Bronner expressed the loathing of terrorism aimed at the innocent and the frustrations of the Israeli population.

He also spoke about border issues and anti-Semitism within the Israeli population. Other points Bronner stressed were the neglect of the education system, which Israel built in 1967, the refugee crisis, economic issues of property and Gaza’s separation from the West Bank. Both sides of the conflict do not trust America’s role as a mediator in the situation. To conclude his statements, Bronner added that legislation was proposed to give Jews in Israel more privileges, but this motion was defeated and the only solution to the conflict would be a modern sovereign state based on religion.

Tolay was the second speaker of the event. She took on the role of pro-Palestine from a political conflict zone perspective. Her speech was also divided into three main parts that were the variety of perspectives, common Palestinian views of the conflict (victimhood) and the Hammas puzzle.

She spoke about the Palestinians being accustomed to hearing divided voices within their political system. Fatah, a party that is known to have a longer history of corruption, and Hammas, the party that promotes Islamization and violence, are the two political voices of the Palestinians. However, the majority of the population is unhappy about both political parties and their roles, as well as frustrated with the United Nations and the violence being used against the innocent.

Tolay elaborated on the controversy regarding Palestinian textbooks and the media fabricating news and showing only one side of the story. These realities are what strengthens the victim mentality of the Palestinians and leads them to dehumanize the other side of the conflict, the Jews.

When elaborating about the Hammas situation, Tolay said it is more than just a military machine. The Hammas is a political party and charity organization combined, which has led to an unfair status quo. Her closing argument focused on the Palestinian people needing to adapt a new attitude toward the situation. She believes they need to change their victimhood mindset into a proactive one.

The last speaker to present was Bayraktar, and she spoke about the economic impacts of the conflict. Bayraktar shed light on some interesting facts about Israel and Palestine such as how the Israeli population is two times larger than Palestine’s and that its economy is 26 times larger at $290 billion as opposed to Palestine’s $11 billion. The cost of the reconstruction of the Gaza strip was $6 billion for Palestine and $3 billion for Israel. The costs took up 50 percent of Palestine’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) due to the 23.6% unemployment rate, but only took up one percent of Israel’s GDP.

Bayraktar also spoke of “Olives for Peace,” which is olive oil produced in Israel by Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin citizens working together. Grown in the foothills of the Carmel Mountains, the olives are pressed within hours of picking, to produce this prizewinning extra virgin olive oil. The initiative comes from the United Kingdom’s, Charities Advisory Trust. Peace Oil encourages co-operation between communities.

All three speakers spoke about the many violations against human rights and whether or not a third party should step in to resolve the conflict. They came to a mutual agreement that if anyone were to step in, Saudi Arabia would be the most trusted source, since it maintains relationships with Israel and Palestine. After a round of questions from the audience, the speakers also came to the conclusion that the only way to work toward a solution would be for the people on both sides of the conflict working together as one, in unity.

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