SUA Webinar Sheds Light on Israel-Palestine Conflict Amid Continuing Tensions
On Feb. 17, hundreds of members of the public and the SUA community gathered online for a webinar addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Office of Academic Affairs-sponsored event—held against the backdrop of continued warfare stemming from the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza—sought to transcend the binary paradigm dominating discourse on the issue. Emphasizing empathy, reasoned debate, and conflict resolution, the webinar provided a platform for diverse perspectives.
The distinguished panelists included Farid Abdel-Nour, professor and chair of political science at San Diego State, where he helped found the Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies; Samer Abdelrazzak, head of diplomatic and international relations (Fatah shadow leadership) and chair of the Jerusalem Development Fund; Gershon Baskin, Israeli columnist, social and political activist, and founder of IPCRI, a jointly run Israeli and Palestinian think tank; and Laurie Nathan, director of the Mediation Program at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. Michael Weiner, professor of East Asian history and International Studies and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at SUA, moderated the discussion.
With each panelist sharing insights into the complexities of the conflict, the webinar served as a crucial opportunity for educators to explore strategies for engaging students in understanding this multifaceted and challenging issue.
