Spirit of collaboration motivates Middle East programs, discussions

    As Palestinians and Israelis begin to recover from the latest spate of fighting in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, students at Tufts sought a similar path to what many world leaders are currently encouraging: dialogue, compromise and an airing of grievances.
    In a rare collaboration between nearly every group on campus that deals in some way with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a series of programs began this week to give students the opportunity to voice their opinions and hear others' thoughts.
    The New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP), part of the Institute for Global Leadership, hosted a discussion Wednesday night to facilitate a civil forum where students could voice their opinions and concerns over the fighting in and around Gaza.
    Conversation ranged from an exploration of the origins of the conflict to whether Israel's invasion was a proportional and effective response to rocket attacks by Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza.
    The dialogue was co-sponsored by the Office of the University Chaplain, the Arab Student Association, Tufts Hillel, Pathways, the Muslim Student Association and Tufts Friends of Israel and was moderated by Associate Professor of political science Malik Mufti who is also the director of the International Relations program.
    In a follow-up presentation last night, Israeli Consul General to New England Nadav Tamir presented a briefing about the recent conflict, in which both sides declared unilateral truces last weekend.
    That discussion was sponsored by Tufts Hillel, Tufts Friends of Israel, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston and B-right, a Tufts group for students who have participated in free Taglit-Birthright trips to Israel.
    At both discussions, students drew upon their personal experiences from studying abroad or growing up in the Middle East to move the conversation forward.
    But on Wednesday night, the conversation often came to loggerheads.  Some, however, pointed out the importance of the dialogue in the abstract.
    "We're committed to seeing problems solved by providing a tolerant, pluralistic environment," said sophomore Danna Solomon, a member of Pathways.
    "What kind of measures can we make to bring this model to Gaza?" she asked.
    Others questioned the efficacy of the process on a larger scale.
    "We are agreeing on a lot of things, but we are here at Tufts. People there have an entirely different perspective," sophomore Danny Newhide, co-president of the Arab Student Association said. "We have certain biases here, but people who are actually affected have polarized points of view."
    "It's hard to solve anything," Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, the executive director of Tufts Hillel, added. "We should not downplay the commitment to sit down in a room and have a conversation in this way."
    Last night, students crowded into Barnum Hall to listen to Tamir, the Israeli diplomat, elucidate the origins and implications of recent fighting. Tamir explained how the end of a flawed ceasefire prompted the eruption of violence in Gaza.
    "The ceasefire was supposed to end December 19th," he said. "For some time, the Palestinians knew they were not going to continue the ceasefire."
    Tamir discussed that temporary truce at length, describing why Hamas refused to continue the armistice. He believes that Hamas' reluctance stemmed from improvements in the West Bank, explaining how a decline in recruitment for Hamas in that territory and a successful Christmas celebration in Bethlehem impacted Hamas' thinking.
    And Tamir defended Israel's conduct during the 22-day war that began on Dec. 27.
    "The one obligation of any government is to protect their citizens from outside sources," he said. "We did this with the clear determination that we are not fighting civilians but the Hamas regimes."
    Throughout the presentation, Tamir continually expressed his grief over the loss of human casualties, both Israelis and Palestinians.
    Skipping an explanation about specific actions during the current hostilities, Tamir jumped to provide a resolution.
    He echoed President Barack Obama's speech at the Department of State, explaining that Israel wants a "durable, sustainable ceasefire." This would include a halt to the smuggling of long-range missiles into Gaza, which Tamir believes is an "attainable" goal.
    During a question-and-answer session, students inquired about the legitimacy of the Israeli military's actions during the war and about the future of Gaza.
    Students also used this time to discuss specific actions during recent fighting. Multiple students questioned the bombing of a U.N. school and alleged Israeli use of white phosphorus bombs.
    "If we did something wrong, we will make it right," Tamir said. "We cannot bring dead people back to life, but that is the nature of war."
    Palestinian students in attendance were quick to question the history provided by Tamir, negating both his history about the restriction of passageways into Egypt and the terms of a new ceasefire.
    Tamir, who was a commander in the Israeli military, said he recognized the difficulty of explaining a battle to someone who has never fought in one.