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Palestinians Want What Israeli Arabs Have

(Arab Weekly-UK) Jerry Sorkin - Palestinians in the West Bank want nothing more than to see normal life. Two years ago, I took part in a group forum at a West Bank Palestinian university aimed at enabling American visitors to hear from the "20-something" generation of Palestinians. At the Q&A session, the Palestinian professor chairing the event jumped on every question posed to the students and gave her own answers instead. When asked if they would be willing to work with Israeli academics, the Palestinian professor immediately responded that they would never collaborate with Israeli professors or students. After the session, we invited some of the students to join us at a cafe in Bir Zeit, providing them with a less intimidating atmosphere to speak candidly. They felt their professor prevented them from saying what they would have liked to say, which was that they would very much want to meet and have exchanges with their Israeli counterparts. At another forum in March where American citizens met with students from several West Bank Palestinian universities, in a location where they were able to speak freely, we heard from each of the five students that they wanted to have exchanges with their Israeli counterparts. Some admitted that they do so on social media. "We are governed by men who are 70 years and older, men who have found ways to benefit and enrich themselves....It is time for another direction," noted one student. In my numerous visits to the Palestinian territories, in private settings, nearly every Palestinian admits that they just want to be able to enjoy the benefits that their counterparts who hold Israeli citizenship have: access to travel, filling the ranks of Israeli universities. Palestinian leaders' continued refusal of any cooperation or dialogue with Israel has brought nothing to their people. Moving away from old formulae that never worked is the wise thing to do. The writer is an adjunct professor at Temple University.
2020-08-27 00:00:00
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