By Melinda McClimans and Krishna Kewale

For decades, the Israel-Palestine conflict has been an important topic in news media.  However, it remains one Americans are not comfortable discussing. As always, there is a strong need for academic spaces where one can learn about the history of the conflict from experts, process current information from the news, and ask questions. However, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain those spaces. Part of this discomfort in the U.S. context is the political polarization within U.S. society. The Middle East Studies Center is curating resources on "How to Talk About the Violence in Israel and Gaza" for these reasons.

Professor Shibley Telhami, Director of the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll; Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, directs surveys on how the most recent Israel-Palestine conflict that started on October 7^th influences American views (Telhami, 2023). It’s unclear what the lasting impact will be. Yet one of the clear findings of the surveys is that Americans feel increasingly less comfortable sharing views related to the topic (Telhami, 2024). This includes professors and other scholars on U.S. campuses (Telhami, 2023; Lynch and Telhami, 2024).

Telhami said in a recent NPR interview that “after the Hamas attack on October 7, there was a spike of sympathy the first couple of weeks with Israel.” The poll’s findings also revealed that American opinions remain divided according to party affiliation, with Democrats and independents tending to want to “take neither side” and Republicans tending to want to "take Israel’s side.” These outcomes show how navigating conversations about the issue also means navigating politics in the U.S. context. 

The difficult task of keeping up-to-date on current events seems to have become more daunting overall, especially considering a news media environment that can be untrustworthy. It can also be emotionally overwhelming to process the brutal realities of war. Since October 7th, conflict has expanded, leading to wide-scale violence, loss of life, and humanitarian crises in Gaza. All these factors make it extremely challenging to stay updated while also understanding the historical context of the conflict. 

Universities across the country have addressed the urgent need for learning spaces by hosting teach-ins and other forums. They offer multiple perspectives on the current war and the history leading up to it. The hope is that discussing the conflict opens dialogue and fosters understanding of this complex topic. The events emphasize historical, legal, and other contexts for the conflict, emphasizing that the conflicts between Palestine and Israel did not begin on October 7. 

Ohio State University’s Mershon Center for International Security Studies and other units including the Middle East Studies Center responded to the events on that day and the subsequent tensions in the local area with a webinar called "Violence in Israel and Gaza: What's Going On?" and a second webinar called "Seeking Peace at Home: Central Ohio Faith Leaders Speak." 

The Middle East Studies Center has created a page dedicated to helping those interested in learning about what led up to October 7^th . Professors at Ohio State continue to share their lectures, suggest books and articles, and offer other resources for the page. Check the page regularly or follow us on social media because the updates are ongoing.  

References:

Geiger, A. (2014, June 12). Growing Ideological Consistency. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2014/06/12/section-1-growing-ideological-consistency/

Lynch, M. and Telhami. Middle East Scholars Are Under Pressure. (2024, June 14). The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www-chronicle-com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/article/middle-east-scholars-are-under-pressure

Lynch, M. (2024, March 1). Gaza, Israel and Middle Eastern Regional Order. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDLJDviUtpY

Martin, M., & Telhami, S. (2024, January 9). How does the public view the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine? NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/01/09/1223626424/how-does-the-public-view-the-wars-in-the-middle-east-and-ukraine

Telhami, S. (2024, March 8). Americans feel the need to be extra careful when discussing Israel-Palestine. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/americans-feel-the-need-to-be-extra-careful-when-discussing-israel-palestine/

Telhami, S. Scholars Who Study the Middle East Are Afraid to Speak Out. (2023, December 5). The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/scholars-who-study-the-middle-east-are-afraid-to-speak-out

Telhami, S. (2023, November 2). Is the Israel-Gaza war changing US public attitudes? Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/is-the-israel-gaza-war-changing-us-public-attitudes/