Professors Omar Dajani and Mira Sucharov provided an informative discussion on the Israel/Palestine conflict that upheld the importance of protecting humanity and understanding different perspectives. Although this talk was valuable in many ways, I appreciated how they acknowledged Palestinian suffering without engaging with the argument that doing so is insulting to Jewish people. I found it interesting that Professor Sucharov began this discussion by articulating her experience of watching attention shift from Israel on October 7th to Gaza in the following days and months as Israel began to unleash attacks. I felt that this perspective was important because it highlighted the importance of both events without legitimizing the extremity of Israel’s actions in the following months.   

I also found Professor Dajani’s discussion on Jewish attachment to the land to be an important point in their conversation. Professor Dajani explained that a recognition of this importance is crucial, however it does not legitimize an acceptance of Jewish supremacy in Israel. In other words, acknowledging the importance of this region to Jewish people is not intrinsically linked to the preservation of Jewish supremacy. I found Professor Dajani’s statement to be a well-articulated argument for the importance of providing a safe space for Palestinians to live and tell their own stories while still upholding the fact that this does not deny the right of Jewish people to exist in this region. I appreciated the openness that both professors brought to this discussion, as well as the depth of information that was used in their analysis and explanations.  

Along a similar line, I found Professor Sucharov’s explanation of her understanding of Jewish privilege in Israel to be particularly interesting. She explained that, in the past, because many Palestinians in Israel speak Hebrew, she used interactions in Hebrew to attempt to establish a common ground. However, she did not account for the fact that speaking in Hebrew to Palestinians in Israel is a form of “othering” them because they are required to speak Hebrew as a result of Jewish supremacy. In this sense, Professor Sucharov explained how she began to understand what it means to hold Jewish privilege in Israel and how it is vital to acknowledge the impacts this structure has on the lives of Palestinians. I felt that this was a valuable example of the importance of dismantling structures of Jewish supremacy in Israel to promote a space that also protects the lives and rights of Palestinians. I also appreciated how this segment of the conversation reiterated the importance of acknowledging the experiences and humanity of both parties, and that it reemphasized the fact that acknowledging Palestinian suffering is not an attack on Jewish people or their existence in Israel. 

I found this event to be incredibly valuable not only because of the depth of information provided, but because it discussed the importance of understanding and acknowledging Palestinian experiences in a way that I previously struggled with communicating to others. Within my own interactions with this subject, I have found that many individuals are reluctant to accept or realize that arguing for the rights of Palestinians to live safely in this space does not imply a delegitimization of Jewish existence within the region, and that denouncing Jewish supremacy is not promoting their removal from the land. I felt that I left this event with a more robust understanding of how to continue to advocate for Palestinian rights and safety in a way that does not delegitimize Jewish experiences or allow for the argument that protecting both groups and their existence in this space is wrongful.