Former BBC journalist David Zev Harris, who spoke at the University
on Thursday, said he thinks there will never be peace in the Middle East.
Although the past 20 months have been filled with violence, he said the tension and conflict between Israelis and Palestinians dates back much further.
“There is no way that in the lifetimes of (Israeli Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon and (Palestinian leader) Yasser Arafat there will be true peace. It will be a very cold peace at that,” Harris said. “There has to be a mix of military and diplomatic activity.”
Harris gave a free lecture to more than 75 people in the EMU Ballroom, taking a pro-Israeli stance. He is the current bureau chief for Media Line News Services, an organization with a mission to “improve coverage of the Middle East.” The speech was a stop on a tour through the United States with Caravan For Democracy, a group that promotes an understanding of democracy in the Middle East for college students in America.
While Harris touched on historical
issues of the conflict, most of his talk
involved portraying the truths and images of recent violence in the Middle East that the American public never saw. Harris highlighted the ongoing hostage crisis at the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Christ. He also touched on the United Nations’ fact-finding mission, violence in the Jenin refugee camp and the suicide bombings.
“There are 14- and 15-year-old kids being sent to carry out terrorist attacks. They are kids who don’t even understand what politics are about,” he said.
Matthew Peltz, a University student and member of Club Israel, said he supported the event because he was interested in helping “students develop a deeper connection to the land of Israel.”
Harris, 35, who has also covered economics and politics for The Jerusalem Post and worked for the JPost Radio station on the Internet, is from Manchester, England. He said he is nervous about his personal safety working in Israel.
“I’m always looking over my shoulder,” he said.
Harris works on Harav Kook Street in Jerusalem overlooking Zion Square. From the office windows of The Media Line, Harris and his colleagues have witnessed car bombings and acts of terrorism.
“We are right there — right in the heart of it,” Harris said.
Harris said as he walked through the streets after Sept. 11 he saw the people of Israel crying, and observed how women continue to fear even going to the supermarket to grocery shop.
Lindsay Rowan, a senior majoring in journalism, attended the lecture to earn extra credit in her 19th century philosophy class and because, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, she said she was interested in the presentation.
“I consider it very important to know the history of Israelis and Palestinians,” she said, but she added that many college students and people in the United States tend not to show an interest in international politics because they feel they are “too far away and too far removed.”
Club Israel chairwoman Sarah Shpall said Thursday also marked Yom Yerushalayim, a holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. During a press conference, Harris made one final plea for peace: “Hopefully, when the violence is finished, students at the UO will consider Israel as a place of vacation,” Harris said.