Academic Conference in Haifa Examines the War on the Gaza Strip

A speech written by Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, professor of criminology and a member of Mada al-Carmel’s Executive Committee, was then read out on her behalf by Ali Mawasi. In it, Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian stated, “Our Palestinian issue today is the battleground that will define the course, ethics, work, and life of this era. It is thus incumbent on us to expose history and the destructive political reality, dismantle them, and dissect the violence of the state in the Palestinian forensic mortuary.” She raised questions such as, “What should we do? What kind of action do we need to undertake politically, intellectually, in terms of research and methodologically? And how do we articulate our narrative of the terrorism of the state and its supporters, and of those who are striving with all their might to disrupt critical efforts, turning a priori condemnation a veil for understanding and politics?”

Next, political activist and General Director of Baladna - Association for Arab Youth, Nidaa Nassar, gave remarks on behalf of the co-hosting organizations, clarifying that the conference did not seek to broach wider questions at a time when the genocide is still ongoing. She stressed that all eyes remained on Gaza, and that the priority was to bring the genocidal war to an end and thwart efforts to eliminate the Palestinian issue, reaffirming the importance of examining our effectiveness as Palestinians during this bloody chapter in the history of the Palestinian people. She added that such meetings, bringing together researchers and academics, are one of several spaces crucial for communication and solidarity, which is what Palestinians need most at this time.

The first panel was titled “After Two Months of War: Political, intellectual and strategic readings”, and was moderated by Tareq Khatib, a lawyer and political activist. The opening presentation of the panel was made by Jad Qadan, a researcher in the fields of cognitive linguistics and cultural sciences. He gave a psychological reading of Israeli political and moral dogma since October 7^th, in an attempt to understand the psychological and ideological structure that is enabling genocide in the Gaza Strip. He was followed by Waleed Habbas, a researcher at the Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies – MADAR, who addressed the relationship between the State of Israel and the residents of the 1967 Occupied Territories. He argued that this relationship was based on the principle of ‘population management’, as a colonial technique designed to exclude them, and attempted to set forth an analytical framework through which to comprehend the political future of the Gaza Strip. In the third presentation professor of sociology Yehouda Shenhav attempted to answer questions such as: “Is it still possible for us to talk about the Nakba in the same way? Is the Green Line still relevant? And how can we interpret the war on the Gaza Strip in its various contexts using terms such as ‘justification’, ‘religiosity’, ‘political theology’, ‘forms of violence,’ etc.?” The closing presentation of the panel was given by Mohanad Mustafa, the General Director of Mada al-Carmel, and a researcher in political secience. He began his presentation by underlining the importance of cooperation between the organizations that co-convened the conference, as well as the academic and political significance of the fact that it was held in during the assault on the Gaza Strip, and in the shadow of the silencing policies imposed on the Palestinian citizens of Israel. He stated that the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza was an objective of the war, even though the war has no political horizon. He queried whether it was within the realm of possibility for Israel to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, and what the consequence would be in case it succeeded to do so.

The second panel, titled “Israel the Tribe: Its internal and external borders”, was moderated by Areen Hawari, a researcher at Mada al-Carmel. The first presentation was delivered by professor of social and cultural history Gadi Algazi, who focused on the war’s direct impact on Israeli society, which has been reflected in a combination of increased distrust in the failing Israeli government, and growing loyalty to the state and to Zionist ideology. He argued that dealing with the reality that is emerging from the war requires thinking about a counter-strategy and making bold, and non-trivial moves. 

He was followed by Mtanes Shihadeh, a researcher of political science and coordinator of Mada al-Carmel’s Policy Unit, who analyzed the impact of the war on Gaza on the status of Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel. He argued that the war has once more clarified the Jewish Israeli tribe’s treatment of the Palestinian citizens, revealing the fragility and hollow nature of their citizenship. Next, Antoine Shalhat, a writer and researcher on Israeli affairs and Chairman of Board of the Arab Culture Association, spoke about three themes: the transformation of Israel prior to the events of October 7^th and the indicators that preceded it;  gang-like conduct within the Israeli army; and the contradiction between Israeli democracy and the modern civil state. The final presentation of the second panel was given by Heba Yazbak, a sociology researcher and political activist. She offered a sociological-political analysis of the manifestations of militarism within the Israeli society, arguing that they serve to ensure the process of dehumanizing Palestinians in the context of the war on Gaza.Top of Form

The final panel, on “The History of Gaza and its Region – Urban, cultural and political readings”, was moderated by poet and cultural studies researcher Ali Mawasi. It was opened by Johnny Mansour, a historian specializing in the history of the modern Middle East, and Palestine in particular. He recalled events in Palestinian history with reference to texts published during the war on Gaza, especially war diaries, using these to explore concepts and backgrounds of this recollection, and its significance for understanding the event’s continuing presence in the Palestinian memory. Next, Abed Kanaaneh, a researcher in Shi’ite political thought, spoke in the context of the ongoing skirmishes on Israel’s northern border about the special and historical relationships that have tied and continue to tie the residents of Jabal Amil in southern Lebanon to Palestine and the Palestinians, and which go beyond the narrative of “Iranian hands” in the region. Ali Habiballah, a researcher and writer on Palestinian social history, then spoke about the Gazan countryside, highlighting its marginalization within the Palestinian memory. He pointed, as examples, to Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia and their transformation into neighborhoods extending from Gaza City, from villages affiliated with Gaza City that turned into towns around which refugee camps grew. The conference concluded with a presentation by Mahmoud Yazbak, professor of Middle East history and of the social history of Palestine. His talk centered on what can be described as the “golden age” of Gaza, in the seventeenth century, during the rule of the Ridwan family, when the Gaza District was unified with the Jerusalem and Nablus Districts to confront and repel forces allied with the West. He also spoke about the status of Gaza as the economic, urban and cultural capital of southern Palestine during the Ottoman era.

Both during and after the panels, the audience contributed comments and questions that addressed the war on Gaza from academic and political perspectives. They also remarked on the importance of the event and the need to organize further study days on the subject of the war and its ramifications, on the effectiveness of the actions of the Palestinian society during the war, and in particular on the role of Palestinians in the 1948 Territories within the Palestinian national project, in light of the war and its consequences for them.

To watch the conference video, click on the image below