Jerusalem-based journalist Ben Birnbaum visited Brandeis on Thursday, April 10 to give a talk titled, "One Conflict, Two Peoples, Six Sides: The Six Angles on the Israel Palestinian Peace Talks."

 Students for Accuracy about Israeli and Palestinian Affairs, along with the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, a nonprofit media-monitoring, research and membership organization, brought Birnbaum to campus to discuss the many points of view on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a statement to the Justice, SAIPA president Ari Givner '17 said that "[t]he vast majority of students don't really understand the parties involved in the conflict and the negotiations, why they take the positions they take and why they believe what they believe. [This event is] meant to help students better understand the perspectives of all the stakeholders involved."
Before he began, Birnbaum emphasized his love for the state of Israel, and noted that he understands the need for multiple perspectives on any argument-and said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no different.

Birnbaum began his discussion by mentioning President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, both of whom he said serve as the powerful faces behind one of six perspectives on the issue. However, he said that while Obama favors a two-state solution, "Kerry is more enthusiastic about that enterprise."

According to Birnbaum, Kerry wishes to see the two-state solution come to fruition as quickly as possible, but noted that the obstacle to this was the Israeli government's resistance to adhere to the Palestinians' preconditions.

The second perspective on the conflict is most prominently represented by Tzipi Livni, the Israeli Minister of Justice, along with a number of other "center leftists," as Birnbaum called them. According to Birnbaum, the Center Leftists believe that a two-state solution is the only feasible option for the state of Israel to remain both Jewish and democratic.

Birnbaum said that he thinks that "Livni believes that if she and [Palestinain Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas were in a room, they could probably come to a deal."

Birnbaum then proceeded to speak about Israeli Minister of the Economy Naftali Bennett, who, along with the "hard right," as he called them, typifies the third perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said that that Bennett and the "hard right" believe that a proposed two-state solution is not a workable resolution to the conflict, and that they point to past instances of Palestinian violence as validation for their beliefs.

Birnbaum summarized the hard right's perspective, saying that they believe that "Jews are not occupiers in their historical homeland...asking them to divide Jerusalem is like asking the Italians to divide Rome, or asking the U.S. to divide Washington." Birnbaum backed up his claims by mentioning that he recently had the opportunity to interview Bennett.

At the forefront of the fourth perspective of the issue, Birnbaum said, is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he called Bennett's "frenemy." Birnbaum noted that Netanyahu has come out in support of the two-state solution, but has also said that the Palestinians have to reciprocate what he said that he believes have been earnest efforts by his country if the Israeli government is to cooperate.

Birnbaum said that he believes that "Netanyahu wants to make peace, but not at any cost. He feels he's gone the extra mile for peace, but doesn't get any credit for it."

Later on, Birnbaum mentioned Abbas, and a group that he referred to as the "Palestinian pragmatists," who he said believe that the creation of the state of Israel is unjust, but recognize that it will not disappear overnight. They represent the fifth point of view on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

According to Birnbaum, Abbas and the Palestinian pragmatists are more "forward" than the other factions of the Palestinian community, and believe that peace is an achievable goal, but not with Netanyahu. Of Abbas, Birnbaum said that "[if] he had his way, Israel would disappear. But the thing is, Israel is not going to disappear, and I think Abbas and many other Palestinians have understood that for decades."

The sixth perspective on the conflict is Hamas' perspective, "and the Rejectionists," Birnbaum said. He stated that Hamas and the Rejectionists believe that destruction of the State of Israel is a long-term project on which they must take the reins.

According to Birnbaum, Hamas and the Rejectionists know that "Israel's not going to disappear tomorrow. ... In the short term they are ... more concerned with political survival, but they definitely want to get more of an audience in the west. So they've adopted the language of moderation, without really changing their policies."

Birnbaum noted that using moderate language, such as the term '67 borders" in reference to their alleged desire to diminish Israeli borders to what they were prior to the Israel's land acquisitions in the Six-Day War in 1967, helps Hamas gain an audience in the international community.<>

During his talk, Birnbaum presented these six perspectives on the conflict, of which he said all who are interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict need to be aware.

At the end of his talk, he noted that the main obstacle to productive discourse on the conflict stems from the theory of cognitive dissonance, which involves individuals' tendencies to only engage with those who agree with their sentiments.

He concluded by saying that while it is important to understand each side of an argument, it is not necessary to empathize with every side, and that forming an opinion is healthy. He encouraged everyone to read a variety of news sources, and concluded that engaging with conflicting opinions is oftentimes educational, and usually leads to a strengthening of one's own convictions.

A Cornell University graduate originally from the Boston area, Birnbaum has written about the Middle Eastern conflict for a variety of publications such as Tablet Magazine, Newsweek and The New Republic. Birnbaum has also appeared on BBC, MSNBC, Turkey's TRT and Israel's Channel 2 to talk about the conflict in the Middle East, among other issues.

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