Professor Fishman hosts discussion on Mideast conflict for his Isreali-Palestinian conflict class

Promoting Peace In Palestine, Uniting Through One Voice

By: Editor Excelsior

Posted: 11/9/09

Last week History Prof. Louis Fishman hosted OneVoice, an international nonpartisan group consisting of mainly Israelis and Palestinians aiming to establish a peace resolution in the Mideast, in his Israeli-Palestinian Conflict class.

Prof. Fishman's Israeli-Palestinian Conflict deals with the history of the issue starting with the late Ottoman period as well as how it continues till today. He also includes a "human factor" so students can better understand the realities on the ground that affect everyday people instead of all the political rhetoric thrown around by many on both sides that only serves to make peace more improbable.

OneVoice is a group that blurs the boundaries between Israelis and Palestinians. Established in 2002, it is unique in that it is comprises of both mainstream nationalist Israeli and Palestinian youth who have come together to create an atmosphere for achieving peace for their respective peoples.

"I invited One Voice to speak because I wanted my class to be able to listen to two speakers, one Palestinian and one Israeli, who have experienced the conflict first-hand and who are working jointly to promote an understanding between the two peoples," said Prof. Fishman explaining his decision for choosing OneVoice to discuss the issue.

Sajadian started off the lecture explaining that OneVoice served to find common ground between Israelis and Palestinians first so, that they could then build on that consensus for further progress along the peace process. A poll conducted by the group showed promising findings on what that first step could be; showing 74% of Palestinians and 78% of Israelis are in favor of a two-state solution.

In addition, the poll also found that Palestinians and Israelis agreed that there should be mutual recognition between the parties, negotiations for peace, involvement of the civil society, and greater U.S. involvement. However, there failed to be a consensus on the subjects of right of return for refugees, the final status of Jerusalem, and the final status of settlements.

The point of the poll, explains Sajadian, was to prepare Israelis and Palestinians to accept that compromises needed to be made.

"Compromises today are going to be better than compromises you have to make two years from now…" said Lee Rubenstein explaining that sooner or later they needed to be made anyway.

Rubenstein, the Israeli Youth Leader, herself has been affected greatly by the Mideast conflict more so than most people in her country. She has been in the vicinity of two suicide bombings and one bomb blast. Her first horrifying experience was as a little girl as she and her younger brother were on their way to McDonald's. They were heading towards the restaurant but because of a change of plans turned back, and that is when the suicide bomber struck.

"It was one of the most frightening moment I had in my life…stuff was flying even body parts," she said, "I covered my brother's eyes and started running."

Dalia Labadi was originally from Nazareth, but her family left Israel for some time and this caused them to lose their Israeli citizenship. While living in Jenin in the West Bank, she was excited to start college in Ramallah in 2001, but because of the Second Intifada, her parents forced her to wait. When she did start college, she attended the Arab American University, which she explained was never closed despite the raids made by the Israeli army. The president of the university believed in "resistance through education."

Labadi explained that males between the ages of 18 to 50 were the IDF's main targets. The woman in the campus had to hide them whenever the army came.

"We became the men and taking control of the situation," said Labadi.

In 2004 she was able to move to Ramallah, living with friends when she first heard about OneVoice. She was against the idea of joining a group with a branch in Israel at first because all she only knew Israelis as soldiers. But out of curiosity, she decided to attend a OneVoice event.

Rubenstein and Labadi say they have faced obstacles though, particularly from older generations. In a recent event in the U.S. they were asked how they could sit next to each other considering what each side has done to the other. But both are optimistic that OneVoice can help bring about change for the better.

Kristin Iverson, a senior majoring in History, liked what she heard from the event. "I thought it was great because it was really balanced. The sides weren't talking about theoretical issues, they were grounded in reality," she said, "I would definitely be interested in hearing more from them."

Senior Ted Chattah, majoring in Business Management and Finance, found the talk very informative. "I enjoyed the presentation - it was really intellectual. Going to yeshiva (Jewish School) I wasn't influenced from the Palestinians and their point of view," he said, "And being in this class, listening to the speakers…I'm learning about the problems of the conflict."

"I think it was really good because they said their personal experiences," said Nadia Abuzahria, senior majoring in Secondary Education and History, "It was informative because they spoke about struggles on both sides. And this movement is hope for peace."