Middle-East Crisis: Palestine and Israel

The International College and the International Awareness Club invited Mr. Zuhair Suidan to speak on the topic, “Will There Ever Be Peace between Israel and Palestine?” Being simultaneously an American, ethnically Palestinian, an Israeli citizen, and an Arab Christian, Mr. Suidan’s perspective proved to be invaluable as well as unique. A mixed crowd of over one hundred UB students, faculty and staff gathered to hear Mr. Suidan share his views on the situation and offer suggestions as to how the conflict should be handled.
Mr. Suidan opened with a basic introduction to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. He remarked that “religion is a source of spirituality, not conflict” and chose to focus more on the political and social realities of the situation. Although I personally feel that there is an important religious dimension, it seems that the media may be portraying the conflict to be more religious than the situation merits. For the Palestinians, frustrations are not just religious, they are the frustrations of peoples whose basic life needs are not being met. The Johns Hopkins Institute did a study that showed thirty percent of Palestinian children under the age of five to be malnourished.
In addition to the Palestinian perspective, Mr. Suidan was conscientious in his effort to present the Israeli point of view. He pointed out that “every life has value, not one more than another” and there is a need to understand this complex situation from more than one side. With this, he outlined the essential requirements for lasting peace in the region and the reasons for continued clashes between the peoples and governments of both sides. Both sides have been “ignoring the existence and rights of the other side” and the complaint that there is no one willing to negotiate peace on the side of the Palestinians can also be applied to the Israeli government.
Mr. Suidan encouraged us to get involved, not to “leave this to the politicians,” and to speak with our congressman about the situation. He gave a source of information, the American Task Force at www.americantaskforce.org which gives a summary of news of the Middle East.
Christopher Clarke, a freshman from New York City, felt that the talk was “very informative” and that Mr. Suidan was able to adeptly handle a delicate topic without taking sides. Dusan Bogunovic felt that he gave a “fairly good description of what is going on in the Middle East with explanations of his own views without trying to excessively promote one side.” Many, including Sana Sarr, president of the International Awareness Club, considered the event to be a success and in closing remarks urged us to take action in making a difference.