About the Event
Speakers: Dr. Yael Aronoff and Dr. Saliba Sarsar
Date: March 7, 2024
Location: Zoom
Description: During their lecture, Drs. Aronoff and Sarsar discuss Israeli and Palestinian desires for self-determination and to recognize previous efforts to negotiate peace, helping untangle the complex history of the region. As advocates of peacebuilding, and in particular peace in Israel and Palestine, they infuse their discussion with compassion and constructive dialogue. From their perspective, the problems and the solutions are not an either/or proposition, but one in which empathy and goodwill—particularly for Israel and Palestinian civilians—is sorely needed. Aronoff and Sarsar explore the possibilities of a peace settlement that respects the rights of both peoples after this heartbreaking war has concluded. In this event, attendees experience a much-needed dialogue to understanding the present violence in the region, as well as ways in which both populations' desires to live in peace could be respected in the future.
Sponsors: Organized by CJHPS, the lecture was co-sponsored by Appalachian State's Department of Communication, Department of Government and Justice Studies, Department of History, and Department of Philosophy and Religion.
About Dr. Yael Aronoff
Dr. Yael Aronoff is the Michael and Elaine Serling and Friends Endowed Chair in Israel Studies, the director of the Michael and Elaine Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel at Michigan State University, and a professor of Political Science at James Madison College at Michigan State University. Her primary research and work focus on Israeli politics and foreign policy and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and efforts to resolve it. She is particularly interested in peace negotiations and the conditions under which wars end, as well as the means and limits of war.
About Dr. Saliba Sarsar
Dr. Saliba Sarsar, born and raised in Jerusalem, is Professor of Political Science at Monmouth University. His teaching and scholarly interests focus on Jerusalem, Palestinian-Israeli relations, the Middle East, and peacebuilding. He is the author of Jerusalem: The Home in our Hearts and Peacebuilding in Israeli-Palestinian Relations, among numerous other publications. Sarsar is the recipient of the Award of Academic Excellence from the American Task Force on Palestine, the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice, and the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation Award.