Live from Jerusalem: Notre Dame Faculty Discuss Recent Events and Their Repercussions

After a period of more than a year during which COVID-19 seemed to have overshadowed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we are now witnessing a new wave of violence in the region. Besides the violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian protestors in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and Hamas in Gaza, the region is also witnessing mob violence between Arabs and Jews that is threatening to tear the fine and vulnerable social fabric also present in mixed cities throughout Israel.

This flash panel brought the University of Notre Dame faculty from Jerusalem and South Bend together to discuss the short and long-term root causes of these recent events and offer thoughts on constructive paths forward. This was recorded on Thursday, May 20, 2021.

Speakers:
Opening remarks and introductions:

Daniel Schwake, Executive Director, University of Notre Dame at Tantur, Jerusalem

Panelists:

Avraham Burg, Former Chairman, Jewish Agency for Israel; Former Speaker of the Knesset; Adjunct Faculty, University of Notre Dame at Tantur, Jerusalem
Sari Nusseibeh, Former President, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem; Professor of Philosophy; Adjunct Faculty, University of Notre Dame at Tantur, Jerusalem
Atalia Omer, Professor of Religion, Conflict, and Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
Moderator: Asher Kaufman, John M. Regan, Jr. Director, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; Professor of History and Peace Studies

The following resources include important conversations on the topic from this past year, as well as more recent insights from our colleagues at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies:

• On the Altar of Peace: To achieve sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, argues Dr. Yehezkel Landau, both sides must embrace a narrative empathy that allows them to see the humanity of the other.
• Peace in Absentia: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Voices on Arab-Israeli Normalization: What role does religion play, if any, in fanning the flames of conflict or calming the waters of peace? Our panel of experts shared their insights on these questions, and discussed the best path for sustainable peace in the region.