A senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, HusseinIbish, addressed students Monday at an event hosted by Aggies For Palestine regarding what he said was a need for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Ibish said cooperation would be necessary and the only viable solution is a two-state agreement.
Ibish said the current situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians, who have been in a state of continuous conflict since the late 19th century, is “unsustainable.”
Ibish said the conflict evokes a strong emotional response from both sides, making a peaceful dialogue difficult.
“Israel confronts the same reality as the Palestinians … but they have very different narratives,” Ibish said.
When asked about the difficulty of the current situation in the region,Ibish said unilateralism is not the answer.
Event organizers said the event was intended to inform the student body that there are two sides to the issue.
“Our goal was to show the general population of A&M what’s really going on. It shows there’s legitimacy to both sides,” said NesreenHamed, president of Aggies for Palestine and senior chemical engineering major.
Tonya Woelfel, freshman sociology major, said peace is needed soon for the sake of the people of the area.
Jala Naguib, public relations chair for Aggies for Palestine, said the organization displays solidarity with Palestine, but promotes neutrality and discussion on the issue of Israeli-Palestinian relations.The lecture was followed by a question-and-answer period, during which some students, including members of the Corps of Cadets, expressed support for Israel. These students declined comment after the event’s conclusion.
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