Editor's note: This article was updated on Oct. 17 at 9:25 a.m. to reflect the proper spelling of Mohammed Deif's name.
The director of the OU Center for Middle East Studies called the Israel-Hamas war and its history complicated as Jewish and Arab communities at the university responded to the on-going violence.
On Oct. 7, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched surprise attacks on Israel. Hamas fired thousands of rockets on Saturday morning, striking targets as far as Tel Aviv and the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Joshua Landis, the OU Sandra Mackey Chair of Middle East Studies and the director of the Center for Middle East Studies, said this is a complicated conflict because of the greater historical implications of Hamas’ actions. The events over the last week are the culmination of a decades-long struggle in the disputed region of the Middle East.
“There are many American Jews, and there are many American Arabs, and all of them care very, very deeply,” Landis said. “It's very controversial because Jewish Americans are horrified by just brutal savagery, and yet, Arab Americans, Muslim Americans (and) Palestinians are going to look at the broader Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and they see this as a desperate attempt by people who have been oppressed.”
In a statement posted to Instagram, the OU Arab Student Association said they stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation.
“ASA firmly upholds the Palestinians’ right to resist the violence and oppression they have endured for 75 years under the colonial state of Israel, recognizing their legitimate claim to self-determination, freedom, and justice,” OU ASA wrote.
Aceela Salim, a language arts education junior who is Arab, said it’s important for people to understand that this is not a black-and-white issue.
“It's really important for everyone, especially in Western societies, to educate themselves about the history between Palestine and Israel. … You need to understand the history properly,” Salim said.
Salim said she is heartbroken over the violence, but she is frustrated that people are placing the blame fully on Palestine.
“I believe there should be peace everywhere. I don't believe anybody should go through it. … There should be no harm to either side,” Salim said. “However, it is a little bit frustrating when Palestinians have been dealing with this for so long.”
Mohammed Deif, the leader of the military wing of Hamas, said in a recorded message the group launched “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" so that “the enemy will understand that the time of their rampaging without accountability has ended,” the New York Times reports. He cited Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, which it captured during the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, recent Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the detention of thousands of Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attacks on Saturday in a televised message to the Israeli people saying, “We are at war and we will win it.” Israel responded with a siege and heavy bombing of the Gaza Strip.
In a statement posted to Instagram, OU Hillel wrote their support for Israelis impacted by the conflict.
“In this time of tragedy, we hold close to our hearts all of those impacted by this senseless and ongoing violence,” OU Hillel wrote. “We pray for all our Israeli friends, families and loved ones.”
The faculty of the OU Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies released a statement Friday saying they are “appalled and deeply saddened by the atrocities committed in Israel.”
“While we may hold various political views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we are united in our view that the terrorist acts committed by Hamas were abhorrent crimes against human life that must be condemned, unequivocally, as such,” the statement read.
Hadas Cohen, an Israel Institute teaching fellow at the OU Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies and a visiting assistant professor at the department of history, said she has been in contact with friends and family in Israel since the weekend. She said it has been very difficult hearing about all that is going on as they have told her of all they have seen and heard.
“It’s traumatizing. … You see either friends or family, and you're worried to death about them. You don't know how much or how this will escalate,” Cohen said. “You don’t know to what extent. The fact that they are safe now doesn't mean that they will remain safe, so there's a lot of worry and concern.”
Cohen said through Facebook, she’s heard stories of how mothers have had to protect and hide their children throughout this violence. Cohen said she has grappled with what she would do if she were in their place.
“I have a son, a toddler. … The main question that keeps on coming up is, if I would have been in that situation, how would I have kept my child quiet for hours?” Cohen asked.
U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders condemned Hamas and said they supported Israel and its right to defend itself. In a press conference Tuesday, Biden called Hamas' actions an “act of sheer evil.” Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, have called for de-escalation but did not blame Hamas.
From here, Landis said he’s not optimistic that Biden is going to try to bring a solution to the Hamas-Israeli conflict. According to Landis, Biden has long been a supporter of Israel, and he believes, as of now, the Biden administration will allow Israel to defend itself. Landis predicts as media coverage continues, there will be more of a push for America to get involved.
“I suspect that after a few days, particularly as photos of destruction and testimony of Palestinians who've lost children and wives and so forth begin to air on public TV and on other American news outlets, there will be increasing pressure on Washington, (D.C.), to try to restrain Israel and bring this conflict to an end,” Landis said.
Landis said the biggest question now is whether this conflict will cause the U.S. to push for a two-state solution.
“People are very distraught. Israelis are very distraught by this horrible violence, and so are Arabs,” Landis said. “Americans (are) going to want to try to contain the violence and to bring things back to the negotiating table.”
This article was edited by Alexia Aston and Taylor Jones. Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this article.
