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Furman Professors Multiple Perspectives of the Israeli-Hamas-Palestinian Conflict
In response to the October 7th attack by Hamas in Israel, Furman professors have been proactive in providing students a context and insights from different sides of what one professor called “the most enduring struggles we’re seen in the last 100 years”. Four CLPs have been held related to the conflict: two programs featuring screenings and discussions of documentary films, one lecture, and one panel discussion.
On October 27, Dr. Nader Hakim, Assistant Professor of Psychology, and the Muslim Student Association, presented a screening and discussion of Born in Gaza, a film which sought to give a humane look at the toll for young people living under the 2014 Gaza War. Dr. Hakim reflected on the similarities and differences between the violence in 2014 and 2023.
On November 14, Dr. Akan Malici, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, also an expert in the Middle East history and politics, gave a lecture titled “Some Fundamentals on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” Dr. Malici’s talk and discussion afterwards engaged the audience on questions pertaining to: When and why did the conflict start? What exactly are the claims of the contending sides? Why does peace seem unattainable? What is a likely long-term outcome and how can it be brought about in a peaceful way, doing justice to both sides? What is the role of the international community and of the U.S. in particular? The lecture was co-sponsored by the Muslim Student Association.
Dr. Jason Hansen, Associate Professor of History, led a discussion after the screening of the 1966 film Battle of Algiers. Dr. Hansen asserts the film is relevant to the current war in Gaza as Palestinian resistance groups have long viewed its guerrilla warfare tactic as a model for their ongoing conflict in Israel. This program occurred on November 28.
Most recently, on January 18, Dr. Hansen sponsored and moderated a CLP titled, “Jewish and Israeli Views on the War in Gaza.” The program featured a panel discussion of Jewish and Israeli views of the war in Gaza. Panelist included Yaron Alayon (Director of the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program and an Associate Professor of Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies at the College of Charleston) and Rabbi Samuel Rose (Temple of Israel, Greenville, SC). The talk covered a variety of topics related to the war, including stories of the Hamas attack and the policy choices that led to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.