A former Palestinian negotiator and a Jewish activist spoke in Sophia Gordon Hall last night about human rights in the Palestinian territories, the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the future of the Middle East peace process.
Diana Buttu, a former spokesperson and negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization, and Alice Rothchild, the chair of the Boston chapter of the nonprofit organization American Jews for a Just Peace, participated in a discussion in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room that was hosted by Tufts' chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Both Buttu and Rothchild referred to the Gaza Strip as an "open-air prison," accusing Israel of human rights violations and neglect in the coastal territory.
"Life as a Palestinian is not just about whether you get ketchup, candy, cookies or anything on the banned list," Buttu said. "What life in Gaza is about is a process of separation and control."
"In a prison, the guards are responsible for the welfare of the prisoners, but Israelis aren't responsible and in fact deny the welfare of Palestinians," Rothchild said.
Both Rothchild and Buttu said Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories amounted to apartheid, a classification that Buttu said reflected an Israeli-imposed system of laws that marginalizes Palestinians.
"It's not just one or two laws that prevent electricity or housing," Buttu said. "It's a system of laws that is based on nationality. If you're Jewish, you're part of the system of privilege, but if you're not Jewish, you aren't part of that system."
The speakers also addressed solutions to the conflict, with both suggesting that a two-state solution is impossible under current conditions.
"Time ran out for a two-state solution in 1967 when the first Israeli settler was permitted to live in the West Bank," Buttu said. "This cemented the mindset that Israelis had a superior right to be there."
"If a two-state solution is pursued, Palestine is not left with a viable state," Rothchild said. "It seems like the possibility of a two-state solution came and went a long time ago."
Rothchild challenged the ability of a nonsecular state to grant rights for other nationalities, including Palestinians.
"In general, countries that are created in the name of a religion or identity are, by definition, undemocratic, because they place the rights of one identity above another," Rothchild said. "The idea that Jews should be safe in the world is a perfectly reasonable idea. A problem arises when one group's rights become more important than other people's rights."
Rothchild argued that the conflict must be reframed in order to achieve a sustainable solution.
"The reality is that Palestine and Israel are destined to share this land, and the question is how they are going to do it," she said. "We should frame the issue not as pro-Palestine or pro-Israel but instead pro- or anti-peace process."
Some attendees saw merit in recognizing human rights abuses against the Palestinians and reframing the conflict, but felt that the discussion was one-sided.
"These are laudable ideas, but the way they frame the debate doesn't exactly move us forward," junior Quinn Rask told the Daily. "No one is going to want to be anti-peace, so it's a very factionalizing statement."
Senior Jacqueline Devigne said the discussion focused more on the Palestinians.
"I see their argument of all sides being pro-peace, but most of the talk only addressed the grievances of the Palestinians," she told the Daily. "The Israeli viewpoint was not well-represented."
Jack Irmas, a senior and president of Tufts' SJP chapter, told the Daily before the discussion that the goal of the gathering was to reframe the manner in which conflict between Palestine and Israel is typically viewed.
"We want to educate the Tufts community about a perspective that we often don't hear in the media about the conflict in Palestine and Israel, as well as the situation on the ground," Irmas said. "I really hope that people who may disagree were able to speak openly about their disagreements and tell us why they feel a certain way in order to start a strong dialogue on campus that hasn't been here in the past."
The talk, titled "How Can We Help Bring Positive Change to Israel/Palestine?" was co-sponsored by the New Initiative for Middle East Peace, the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies, the Fletcher Mediterranean Club and the Arab Student Association.
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Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Diana Buttu's last name in two references.
