May 20, 2013 — When told by the student introducing the event that he would be expected to offer his thoughts on the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Dr. Robert Malley retorted that the events to which she referred were…
Prospects for a post-Ahmadinejad Iran: new president, fewer distractions
The 11th Iranian presidential elections, scheduled for June 14, are fast approaching, and as election day draws near, many prospective presidential candidates (they must be approved by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei before they can run) are publicly distancing themselves from…
Genocide of the soul: the new Jewish face of anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is still the greatest threat to the Jewish people, but the threat comes from within the Jewish state. I was dismayed to read the news last week about the new Egyptian government’s cancellation of a screening of a…
Fatah squanders opportunity to encourage Palestinian rapprochement
Last night, the Jerusalem Post reported on Fatah officials’ “furious” reaction to news of the indirect negotiations currently taking place between Israel and Hamas in Egypt. Officials of the State of Israel and Hamas (the dominant Palestinian political party in…
Hussein Ibish offers post-election analysis of Israeli-Palestinian stalemate at UCLA
This past Thursday afternoon, Professor David Myers — chair of UCLA’s Department of History and scholar of modern Jewish intellectual history — hosted an informal discussion with Dr. Hussein Ibish, bringing together a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students…
Haphazard accusations of genocide hinder humanitarian cause
Since the escalation in violence between Israel and Hamas earlier this month, it has been nearly impossible to sign on to Facebook or Twitter without seeing an exchange of rhetoric between supporters and opponents of Israel’s latest military campaign against…
Deflection of political criticism leads to unfriendly international neighborhoods
Many of Israel’s ardent defenders would sooner point to injustices taking place in other Middle Eastern countries than entertain the idea of having a discussion about what the Jewish State is doing right and what it is doing wrong. Israel…
The Olive Tree Initiative’s ‘Month of Ideas’: conflict education through humor, food, and constant debate
Throughout the month of May, the Olive Tree Initiative at UCLA planned a series of events aimed at educating the campus community and offering a forum for civil discourse and debate about international conflict resolution. These events attracted students of…
Sikhs, Semites, and the Ignorance Problem
VIDEO: Fox Host Asks About Anti-Semitism At Sikh Temple Following the shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Sunday, Fox News host Gregg Jarrett asked a nephew of one of the victims, “Have there been any prior acts of violence against…
The Occupation We Choose to Ignore
For thousands of years, my ancestors referred to an arid strip of desert land as our home. Our language bespoke the pain and joy of our national history. We practiced the religion of our ancestors, and we organized our society…