This virtual event is on May 13th, from 7-8:30 pm. Register for this event on Zoom.

Event description: Dr. Aronoff and Dr. Sarsar join us to discuss the legitimacy of both Israeli and Palestinian desires for self-determination and to recognize previous efforts to negotiate peace, helping us to untangle the complex history of the region. As advocates of peacebuilding, and in particular peace in Israel and Palestine, they will 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 compassion - particularly for Israel and Palestinian civilians - is sorely needed. Aronoff and Sarsar will explore the possibilities of a peace settlement that respects the rights of both peoples after this heartbreaking war has concluded. In this event, you will 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.  

Dr. Yael S. 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. Among Aronoff’s publications are the book, The Political Psychology of Israeli Prime Ministers: When Hard Liners Opt for Peace, and the co-edited book with Dr. Sarsar and Peleg, Continuity and Change in Political Culture: Israel and Beyond.  Her current book project is titled, The Dilemmas of Asymmetric Conflicts: Navigating Deterrence and Democratic Constraints. Aronoff has published in Foreign Policy, Israel Studies, Israel Studies Review, and Political Science Quarterly, she is past President of the Association of Israel Studies, and has given over 120 public lectures.  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 of Peacebuilding in Israeli-Palestinian Relations. His edited works include The Holy Land Confederation as a Facilitator for the Two-State Solution; What Jerusalem Means to Us: Christian Perspectives and Reflections; His co-edited works consist of Inequality and Governance in an Uncertain World: Perspectives on Democratic & Autocratic Governments; Democracy in Crisis around the World; Continuity and Change in Political Culture: Israel and Beyond; What Jerusalem Means to Us: Jewish Perspectives and Reflections; and What Jerusalem Means to Us: Muslim Perspectives and Reflections. 

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.  

This event follows the Shared Principles for Educational Events on the Israel-Palestine Conflict by the Faculty Group on such Educational Events, in the Division of Global Engagement. Co-sponsored by: Academic Engagement Network, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Global Studies and Languages, Global Studies Institute, UO-UNESCO Crossings Institute/UNESCO Chair of Transcultural Studies, Interreligious Dialogue and Peace. 

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