Hundreds Attend Debate on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Several hundred people jammed into a classroom in the Valley Life Sciences Building last night to watch a debate on the best way to achieve peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But what quickly became apparent is that participants on both sides of the issue were more capable of agreeing on their differences than on what they held in common.

Panelists and attendees dished out accusations of atrocities the other side had committed, recalling old grudges that in some cases dated back hundreds of years.

It was a familiar scene for a campus that has witnessed a series of contemptuous demonstrations by both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students, garnering national attention for those that ended with mass arrests.

Dean of Students Karen Kenney opened the ASUC-sponsored forum with a coin toss. It landed heads up, giving representatives of the pro-Israel contingent the first word.

"There are millions of Palestinians that want their life back and want to have peace," said David Meir-Levi director of the Israel Peace Institute.

Still, the responsibility of making the first move toward peace lies with the Palestinians, Meir-Levi said, because there can be no peace until the Palestinians and their government renounce terrorism as a tactic.

This is an unfair and impossible task, said Alison Weir, founder and executive director of If Americans Knew, a group that tries to call attention to the ways that U.S. foreign aid is being used in the conflict.

Without American aid, Israel would be unable to sustain its "mega-military" that has enjoyed an unfair advantage in negotiations, Weir said.

The only target the two sides could agree on was the media.

UC Berkeley lecturer Hatem Bazian said the international press has ignored the plight of the Palestinians by vilifying their leaders and sympathizing with Israel.

"They blame the victim for being victimized," Bazian said.

For Eric Sirkin, a Palo Alto technology firm executive, the press's victim was the Israeli military, which he said has been portrayed as a force that enjoys violating Palestinian rights.

It is not an easy job for the soldiers who man the checkpoints between Israel and the Palestinian territories, Sirkin said.

"They hate it, everyday they do it, they hate it," Sirkin said.

Members of the audience were just as enthusiastic to get their opinions expressed through the questions that they submitted to the panel.

One question gave the pro-Israel side a chance to inventory the atrocities committed against Jews in the twentieth century while another asked them to justify the killing of children in the occupied territories.

But one frustrated audience member concluded that there could be no peace.

"So what now?" he said.

Photo/Sarah Thrasher

A pro-palestinian rally was held on Sproul Plaza yesterday at noon. Many pro-Palestinian supporters attended the debate on campus later that night.

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