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Discussion offers ideas for peace
Students and professors voice opinions on the conflict in the Mideast
By Josie Klemaier
jklemaie@mscd.edu

Photo by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu Amin Kazak, political science professor at UCD, raises his voice and pounds his fist on the podium as he talks about his experience in Lebanon over the summer. Kazak was born in Haifa and visited Lebanon for recreation and to further educate his students about the issues in the Middle East. Kazak spoke at the Death of Hope and Compromise discussion Aug. 30 in the Tivoli Multicultural Lounge. He was one of four authorities on the subject to speak.

A variety of perspectives were offered concerning conflicts in the Middle East and the chance of their resolution at “The Death of Hope and Compromise,” a discussion hosted by Robert Hazan on Aug. 30.

Hazan, the chair of Metro’s political science department, said the event was valuable in allowing a discussion on the subject outside of the classroom.

The main question for discussion at the event was, “Does peace have a chance in the Middle East?”

“The region is still trapped in a cyclone of violence, a cyclone of bloodshed, a cyclone of hatred,” Hazan said during the introduction of the discussion.

It may take $10-15 billion to restore Lebanon to what it was before the destruction caused by the recent war with Israel that began this July, Hazan said.

The three-hour event was divided into two sessions.

At the beginning of each session, Hazan showed a portion of Courage Along the Divide, a 1987 film documenting the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians prior to the uprisings in the occupied territories in 1987 and 1988.

He then spoke about the deep roots of the region’s conflict history.

“The movie for me was a little bit difficult … partially because I think that this is an incredibly complex issue … In the past hundreds if not thousands of years, there have been a tremendous number of really horrible decisions,” said Benjamin Kapnik, a Metro student. “It’s important that both sides be recognized. It’s a much larger issue than it can seem.”

The modern shape of the Middle East was created and mandated by the British and the French in 1918 after the end of World War I, he said. Many Jews then began to migrate to the area from Europe.

The borders and who should occupy the land have been the core issues spawning violence and war.

“Write this down and don’t forget it,” Hazan said. “The Jews looked for safe haven in Muslim-ruled territories, Arab, Turkish, Muslim-ruled territories. The crimes committed against the Jews were crimes committed by the Europeans.”

Speaker and UCD political science professor Amin Kazak was born in Haifa and had made plans to visit the region this summer for leisure and to bring his students there to learn, he said. The day his flight was scheduled to leave the United States, the war between Israel and Lebanon began.

“I lived with the minds and souls of the people there,” he said. “My faith about the peace was really shaken about this war that (was) being conducted by the state of Israel with the blessing of this government of the United States… Did I lose my faith about peace? Never.”

Daphne Brandt, a UCD international relations major, responded to Kazak’s comments, saying that there must be a distinction made between Hezbollah and the Palestinians. “You talk about the war with Lebanon, but truly who started that war? … Hezbollah is a Lebanese/Syrian entity,” she said.

Brandt said that Kazak should be careful to show both sides of the story when teaching his classes, which he protested.

“You did not take my classes… no, I will not stand for that,” Kazak said.

Brandt continued, “How do you see peace coming to the Middle East when Hezbollah attacks Israel?” Brandt asked. “The Arabs have been offered (land) time and time again … and they continuously refuse to take any offers … The only reason Israeli troops are still in Gaza is because if they weren’t there, there would be numerous attacks against the Israelis.”

Near the discussion’s end, Metro political science professor Jim Cole referenced a quote from French author Alexandre Dumas’ book The Count of Monte Cristo.

“At the end of the book there is this phrase … which means wait and hope … We are going to have to continue to wait and continue to hope, because without hope we are not alive. The death of hope is the death of humanity.”