Israel-Hamas Conflict panel at Chapman faces controversy due to withdrawals from several speakers
The Oct. 26 panel faced many last-minute changes due to speaker withdrawals and Chapman’s supposed treatment of Palestinian journalist Rajaa Natour. Photo by LISA WONG, Video & Podcast Editor
Chapman University’s panel to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict nearly fell apart the evening before the event. Ironically, this was due to internal conflict between the panelists which caused several speakers to withdraw at the last minute citing concerns of Pro-Israeli bias.
Chapman’s Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences hosted an "Ask the Experts: Israel-Hamas Conflict" event on Oct. 26 to discuss the regional and global implications of the evolving conflict between Israel and Hamas,
However, Wilkinson announced last-minute changes to the lineup on the evening before the event.
Original Panel:
Rajaa Natour: Chief Editor at Haaretz Newspaper, Poet
Shira Klein: Associate Professor, Chair Department of History
Lisa Leitz: Associate Professor, Chair Department of Peace Studies
Kyle Longley: Professor, Co-Director War, Diplomacy, and Society Program
Hannah Ridge: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science
Revised Panel:
Kyle Longley: Professor, Co-Director War, Diplomacy, and Society Program
Hannah Ridge: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science
Andrea Molle: Associate Professor, Interim Director of International Studies
Leitz expressed concerns about pro-Israel bias in the questions that the panel intended to address. She believed that the event was no longer a safe space for the Chapman community to discuss the devastating events unfolding in Israel and Gaza.
“I withdrew from the panel because it was clear to me that the panel was no longer going to be balanced,” Leitz told The Panther. “I agreed to be on the panel, only if we had a Palestinian expert on it, because we had two Jewish members of the faculty involved. I didn’t believe the panel should go forward with only people whose politics leaned in one direction on this issue.”
Subsequently, the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) issued a press release, questioning the event's integrity and posting a screenshot of Molle's Twitter profile with an Israeli flag and a bio that reads, “I don't debate.”
“Although the initial panel discussion may have had potential for a fair conversation, due to recent events, we regret to inform you that it is no longer the case,” SJP wrote in their statement. “(Natour) was the only Palestinian panelist, and Wilkinson was insistent on policing her speech.”
Wilkinson Dean Jennifer Keene responded to the statement by SJP.
“I have received feedback claiming there was bias towards Hamas, claims that there was bias towards Israel and responses that the event was educational and helpful,” Keene told The Panther. “In other words, the event was received differently by audience members, depending on their vantage point.”
The focus of this event was framed around international relations, framing the conflict within a global perspective for understanding its implications in the Middle East, Europe and the United States.
That same week, Palestinian flags and posters were seen planted in the Attallah Piazza.
Palestinian flags (left) were seen in the Attallah Piazza, which previously had Israeli flags. Photos by EMILY PARIS, Photo Editor, (left) and RENEE ELEFANTE, Editor-in-Chief (right)
Israeli airstrikes targeted northern Gaza, specifically the Jabaliya neighborhood, with the military asserting that the strikes were aimed at Hamas militants, including a commander linked to the Oct. 7 attacks.
Simultaneously, Israeli ground troops and tanks pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip, prompting warnings for Gazans to evacuate south.
More than half of the two million population has been displaced since Israel expanded its blockade in response to Hamas attacks.
“Given the history we know of how many people live in Gaza, because their families were evicted during the prior conflicts, there's definitely a historical memory that says if you move you will never go home,” Ridge said at the event. “And, that's gonna mean even if you could convince people it was internationally legitimate to relocate millions of people temporarily, you're not going to convince people that it's temporary. This is in service of an extremist agenda within the Israeli political sphere to actually perpetuate the conflict.”
Hamas released a video featuring captives demanding a prisoner swap and criticizing the Israeli government. Israel has claimed the video is "psychological propaganda."
“Despite Hamas theoretically holding political power, Israel is in territorial control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. That actually makes them responsible for both Israeli and Palestinian lives,” Leitz told The Panther.
Humanitarian officials have sounded alarms over the growing catastrophe faced by Palestinian civilians in Gaza. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that Gaza's civilian casualty toll was "totally unacceptable," emphasizing the adherence to international humanitarian law.
“With the help of propaganda, both sides have dehumanized each other to the point where killing is justified,” Longley said. “Prejudice rarely survives experience. The only cure for it is knowledge.”
The Palestine Red Crescent reported damage to its warehouses in an Israeli strike. Philippe Lazzarini, the chief for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, informed the UN Security Council that Israel's "relentless bombardment" of Gaza has caused unprecedented destruction. The World Health Organization states it has been unable to resupply hospitals in northern Gaza. At least 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, with over 1,400 casualties in Israel, as of Nov. 6.
“In the months leading up to Oct. 7, there was great turmoil in Israel, and demonstrations were held to protest the erosion of democracy in Israel,” Klein stated. “Although the demonstrations were by Jews and for Jews, a small pocket of people –– the anti-occupation bloc –– had begun making those connections between the erosion of democracy for Jews and the lack of democracy for Palestinians.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a firm stand, rejecting calls for his resignation and sticking up for Israel's attacks on civilian homes. The international community has demanded a cease-fire, but Netanyahu defended the attacks, claiming that stopping them would strengthen Hamas, the organization responsible for the attacks in October. He refuted claims of collective punishment and outlined Israel's measures to alert civilians and reduce losses.
“(Netanyahu) has been on the far-right of Israeli Politics for a very long time,” Leitz told The Panther. “I wouldn’t just blame him. I would blame the overall decision-making in Israel regarding expanding settlements and normalizing relations with the rest of the Arab world without doing anything to handle the historical conflict between Israel and Palestine.”
Communication disruptions occurred in Gaza on Nov. 1, with two telecom companies reporting service outages citing the ongoing Israeli bombardment and an expanded ground operation in the area.
Independent internet monitoring groups stated that recent blackouts marked the most severe since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started on Oct. 7. Palestine Telecommunications (Paltel) announced a complete interruption of communications and internet services in Gaza, attributing it to the reconnected international routes being cut off again. Jawwal Telecommunication Company (JTC) also reported the outage of its cell phone service.
"In recent hours, various areas of the northern Gaza Strip were subjected to an interruption of telecommunication and Internet services due to the failure of the main generator in one of our main stations in the Sheikh Radwan area," JTC wrote in a Facebook post.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken engaged with Arab leaders, facing palpable discontent expressed by Arab nations during a news conference in Jordan. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry fiercely opposed the justification of a collective punishment (for Palestinians) as a legitimate right of self-defense. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged the West to "work for peace and stop this madness." Despite advocating for Israel's right to self-defense and the need to minimize civilian casualties, Blinken emphasized that a cease-fire at this juncture would "simply leave Hamas in place."
In an unannounced visit on Nov. 5, Blinken engaged with Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Blinken emphasized the importance of protecting Palestinian noncombatants and advocated for "humanitarian pauses" in the conflict, expressing simultaneous support for Israel's right to self-defense. Blinken affirmed the U.S.’s commitment to delivering aid and essential services to Gaza while acknowledging that Palestinians must not be forcefully displaced.
The Biden administration exerted pressure on Israel to increase humanitarian aid access to Gaza and reinstate internet connectivity. The move reflects a concerted effort and comes amidst concerns of a potential escalation in the broader conflict.
“Biden remembers most importantly, 9/11 and that is playing a role in these decision-making processes that sometimes we forget to incorporate into our understanding of this,” Longley said at the event.
Calls for greater empathy towards Palestinians have intensified within the progressive wing of President Biden's party, urging him to advocate for a ceasefire to prevent further devastation in Gaza.
“Prior to the tragedies of Oct. 7, there were exciting and hopeful currents of shared governance,” Klein continued . “I hope that we haven’t lost that entirely. There are groups, albeit tiny, fierce and united groups standing together who haven’t lost that hope which is gaining momentum now.”
In a notable move, the director of the New York office of the UN high commissioner for human rights, Craig Mokhiber, resigned, citing the UN's failure to prevent what he termed as the genocide of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Mokhiber accused the U.S., UK and much of Europe of being "wholly complicit" in the assault.
The conflict has also drawn attention to Iran's role, with Tehran facing a dilemma on how to respond to Israel's invasion of Gaza while considering the risk of a broader regional war. State media and large social media platforms are used by Iran, Russia and China, to denigrate the United States, support Hamas and weaken Israel, according to an article written by the New York Times.
“Instability in the area is how Russia exploited the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza,” Molle said at the event.
The panelists provided a comprehensive analysis of the broader international relations landscape throughout the conflict to contextualize the ongoing strife.
“This is not happening in a vacuum, " Longley continued. “In the context of geopolitical wars, proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are all part of a vast web campaign that amounts to an unprecedented disinformation and propaganda offensive.”
In the Q&A session, the panelist delved into the current paramount challenge to democracy, highlighting the critical issues of news source reliability and the pervasive threat of misinformation.
“The only way to counteract the effect of propaganda is to educate yourself, read history and hear other perspectives,” Molle continued.
Longley urged everyone to engage in self-reflection at the end of the event, asking attendees: “What are your biases? What are your prejudices? How are you getting your information? How are you expanding your views?”
Klein told The Panther about ‘The Elephant in the Room,’ a project driven by academics, clergy members and public figures. In response to Oct. 7, this petition condemns Hamas and urges Israel to rescue hostages through a potential prisoner exchange. It calls for a ceasefire to prevent collective punishment of Gazan civilians and advocates for an end to the violent oppression of the Palestinian people, emphasizing the need for a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
On Nov. 22, a temporary truce was announced between Israel and Hamas; during this four-day period, more humanitarian convoys and relief aid will be able to enter Gaza. Additionally, Israel will release 150 Palestinian women and children, while Hamas will release 50 civilian Israeli women and children. The truce will begin on Nov. 24 and could receive an extension. After the truce is over, according to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the war will resume.