How can peace deals between Israel and the Palestinians be negotiated without Palestinians at the table?
How might Jews who are concerned for both the prosperity of Israel and justice for Palestinians ethically position themselves between the two sides?
What role does religion play in inflaming conflict or promoting peace?
A recent Ansari Institute panel discussion, “Peace in Absentia: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Voices on Arab-Israeli Normalization,” explored these important questions, as panelists shared insights and discussed the best path for sustainable peace in the region.
Panelists included: Laila El-Haddad, an author, social activist, policy analyst, and journalist; Rev. Mitri Raheb, founder and president of Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture; Rabbi Brant Rosen of Tzedek Chicago, co-founder, of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council; and Hatem Bazian, co-founder and professor of Islamic law and theology at Zaytuna College and a lecturer in the Departments of Near Eastern and Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Charles Powell, an affiliated faculty member at the Ansari Institute and adjunct professor of Muslim-Christian dialogue at Holy Cross College, moderated the discussion.
The conversation was co-sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Program in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, and Department of Classics.