Weatherhead Center Encourages Informed Discussion Over Israel-Palestine Conflict

The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs is creating a space to address current events in the Israel-Palestine conflict and promote informed discussion through a series of expert forums.

At the Center’s first forum on the conflict, held last December, Weatherhead Center Director Melani C. Cammett was joined by Derek J. Penslar, Professor of Jewish History at Harvard University; Yael Berda, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at The Hebrew University; and Amahl A. Bishara, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Tufts University.

The panelists discussed the political dynamics in the region leading up to Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, expressing compassion and a hope to facilitate educated dialogue from scholars of different perspectives.

“The mission is really to engage in what universities are supposed to do, which is informed inquiry and exchange based on facts, evidence, and expertise,” Cammett said. “The mission is to address multiple dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been going on for decades, in a really clear minded way and as dispassionately as possible and respectfully as possible.”

According to Cammett, in the wake of ongoing violence and the turmoil that has taken place on campus, there have been calls for “scholarly attention” to address these issues and questions.

“The Weatherhead Center, as Harvard’s largest international affairs unit on campus, is uniquely well-positioned to do that,” Cammett said.

Cammett emphasized the importance of presenting varying credible perspectives on difficult topics.

“We’re drawing on expertise from multiple perspectives to have reasoned conversations about that,” Cammett said. “I went out of my way to pick the most critical and potentially controversial questions.”

While the Weatherhead Center has primarily received positive feedback on the forum — with most noting that these discussions have been constructive — they have also faced some criticism.

“We definitely had some criticism by attendees — that they didn’t like what this person said or that person said — and that’s fine,” Cammett said. “We welcome that.”

Cammett also reiterated the importance of purposeful dialogue in future forums.

“We need to continue having informed conversations about this,” Cammett said. “A future one that we’re in the works of scheduling has to do with the geopolitics and the regional politics surrounding Israel-Palestine and how regional actors are intervening or engaged or not engaged in the war.”

Cammett also remarked on the media’s lack of recognition of discussions occurring on campus, observing what she sees as misrepresentations of the school’s efforts to promote constructive dialogue.

“One thing we really need to do — and are doing, in fact — on campus is have reasonable conversations where we don’t all necessarily agree with each other,” Cammett said. “Those conversations are and have been going on on campus, but they’re just not getting play in the media.”

“We’re not all, you know, screaming at each other,” Cammett added.

—Staff writer Elizabeth R. Huang can be reached at lizzy.huang@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @lizzyrhuang.