In her presentation, Amanda Roraback examines issues from her book, “Israel/Palestine in a Nutshell” and relates them to contemporary events in the Middle East.  By the end of the talk, audiences will have a well-rounded understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and be able to form equally informed arguments on both sides of the controversy.  A question/answer session will follow the presentation.

SOME TOPICS:

• Palestinian Refugees:  More than 1 million Palestinians currently live in refugee camps.  How would the repatriation of these Palestinians affect Israel?
• Socio-economic differences: On average, Israelis earn about $19,000 a year.  In contrast, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank earn less than $800 a year.
• Religious differences and similarities:  According to Islam - Jews, Christians and Muslims (“People of the Book”) are all descended from Abraham and have equal claims to the land that became Israel.
• Terrorism:  The Palestinian militant organization, Hamas, is also the largest charitable group in the Palestinian territory.
• Jerusalem:  Why the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is holy to both the Jews and Muslims.
• Separation Wall:  Israelis say the wall is needed for security. The Palestinians claim it is simply a political instrument to take Palestinian land.