Students, faculty react to Md. peace talks
President of Coalition of Hopkins Advocates for Israel Jordan Libowitz agreed. "They weren't trying to get any peace accord out of it. It was to start peace talks and it certainly did that. It also brought some countries to the table that had never been there before, like Saudi Arabia and Syria. This conference, more than anything, was about opening doors," he said.
But sophomore Ben Silverstein disagrees. "Palestine wasn't really represented there (Abbas was there, but the Hamas was not invited) so the democratic government of Palestine was not even present," he said.
Silverstein, who is Jewish, pointed out, "I was raised hearing the Israeli side, but I don't understand how anyone can hear their [the Palestinian] side and not feel sympathetic just because there is a small contingent that have become suicide bombers."
He added, "I would say that Palestinians are among the most oppressed people in the world right now, and because of the politics of terrorism, they're not recognized as oppressed because of the terrorism tactics used."
David added that the significance of the Annapolis conference lies in the fact that there has not been a meeting of this kind the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference. "Because [the Annapolis peace conference] is the only game in town, if you care about the settlement in the Middle East, there's nothing that's been going on until this," he added.
Lindsay also discussed a United Nations report on "softer, cultural things, not harder things like nuclear weapons." The cultural situation in the Middle East, such as in global commerce and gender issues, may pose a problem since Americans hope that ending the state of war between Palestinians and Israelis would generally result in a democratic state, which would in turn involve more votes, protect minority rights and protect the rights of women. The disparity between the western view of democracy and the deep religious roots that are entrenched in the Middle East may pose cultural problems for the peace talk, he said.
But sophomore Ben Silverstein disagrees. "Palestine wasn't really represented there (Abbas was there, but the Hamas was not invited) so the democratic government of Palestine was not even present," he said.
Silverstein, who is Jewish, pointed out, "I was raised hearing the Israeli side, but I don't understand how anyone can hear their [the Palestinian] side and not feel sympathetic just because there is a small contingent that have become suicide bombers."
He added, "I would say that Palestinians are among the most oppressed people in the world right now, and because of the politics of terrorism, they're not recognized as oppressed because of the terrorism tactics used."
David added that the significance of the Annapolis conference lies in the fact that there has not been a meeting of this kind the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference. "Because [the Annapolis peace conference] is the only game in town, if you care about the settlement in the Middle East, there's nothing that's been going on until this," he added.
Lindsay also discussed a United Nations report on "softer, cultural things, not harder things like nuclear weapons." The cultural situation in the Middle East, such as in global commerce and gender issues, may pose a problem since Americans hope that ending the state of war between Palestinians and Israelis would generally result in a democratic state, which would in turn involve more votes, protect minority rights and protect the rights of women. The disparity between the western view of democracy and the deep religious roots that are entrenched in the Middle East may pose cultural problems for the peace talk, he said.
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