As a part of the lecture series sponsored by the Alternative Palestinian Peace Agenda Initiative, “New Prospects for Resolution in Palestine and Israel: Peace Plans, Culture and Economic Development,” numerous international peace experts will visit the University of Wisconsin campus throughout November and December to consider various peace proposals for the troubled Mid-East region.

In the first portion of this series, Said Zeedani, director of the Independent Palestinian Commission for the Protection of Citizens’ Rights and professor at Bir Zeit University, spoke Friday with a unique personal perspective. Nadim Rouhana, director of the Israeli-Arab Social Science Research Center at Haifa University, also spoke to an attentive audience Tuesday night.

Zeedani is a UW alumnus who spent five years on the campus studying philosophy and comparative literature. After completion of his studies, Zeedani moved to the West Bank, where he said he is now considered both a Palestinian and citizen of the state of Israel.

With aspects of both cultures in his life, Zeedani said he has been witness to the ruthless and brutal violation of Palestinian citizens’ human rights.

Although he said that Palestinians also partake in uncivil acts towards the Israelis, Zeedani said the Israeli Defense Force has reached a level of skill and magnitude that is unprecedented, and as a result, the Palestinian people have suffered greatly.

Rick Woolman, a member of the Madison-Israel Public Affairs Committee, said he feels Israel has conducted waged attacks in response to such tactics targeted at the Israelis.

“If the state is under attack, clearly I think then the government and people have responsibility to defend themselves,” he said.

Previous attempts to quell the instability in this region have been unsuccessful, and in Zeedani’s opinion, they have acted more as a business venture, focusing on the process of peace instead of peace itself.

“What is needed at this point in time is a better, promising political process. The end of this violence is not likely to be obtained without a sincere commitment,” he said. “We need a viable and robust peace process.”

If guided by the right vision, Zeedani said he thinks Palestine and Israel will evade the defective initiatives that have been blinding them for the past 50 years. For example, he said attempts to completely separate the two nations, to maintain domination by one country and to liberalize the government systems all proved ineffective.

Zeedani said he believes that with a little bit of creativity, innovation and spirit, creating a politically divided but culturally unified country will produce a harmonious environment.

“[There must be] two states, but at the same time, one country, one homeland,” he said.

Woolman, however, said he feels Zeedani’s proposed solution is not a legitimate one.

“Certainly there is a lot of culture share; however, I think that having a one-state would be detrimental because Israel has the right to be secure,” he said.

In his lecture, Rouhana also contended that separation is not the proper way to meet peaceful resolutions. Instead, he said he feels that Palestinians must look to the future and evaluate the impending situation. In doing so, they will be able to secure homeland security and eventually, peace with Israel.

“The whole issue of nationalism is in our mind … We must think of our dimension and our identity,” Rouhana said.

Rouhana also said he feels that supporters of peace, such as the United States, Europe and Arab nations, must look at the current situation and examine how badly they want stability in this region. Although their support has increased in recent times, he contends that it is not at the necessary level of knowledge.

“I think the United States, especially, has no clear vision of the conflict,” he said.

Another underlying factor that, in Rouhana’s opinion, has contributed to violence in recent years, has been the instability of the government. He noted that there has been a conflict between the two extreme visions of government.

“Most important ministers are controlled by the right wing, who push for violence against the Palestinians,” he added.

Michael Ziv-el, a member of Kavanna, a progressive Jewish voice on campus, said he feels pointing fingers and placing blame on one country is not only unfair, but also detrimental to the peace process.

“I don’t know if blaming anyone does much purpose … People don’t have much hope there right now. We have to hope for them,” he said.