By Josh Buntin, Jared Valleskey, Cooper Wild & Charlotte Tenebrini Steckart
The Israel-Hamas war and the broader Israeli-Palestine conflict have many different lenses through which it can be viewed. The Fourth Estate spoke to Political Science professors at UW-Green Bay (UWGB) to gain a better understanding of the international implications of the conflict and why college students seem to be so invested in the conflict, including those at UWGB.
College campuses have been epicenters for debate about Israel-Palestine relations since Oct. 7, 2023, with extensive media coverage showing broad student support for the Palestinian people. Large protests in support of Palestine have been held on college campuses, and Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned amidst controversy surrounding her handling of the controversy on her campus. Dr. Alise Coen, an associate professor of political science at UWGB, said that she believes students at the university are interested in the topic and eager to learn about it, in contrast with the situation at other college campuses. There have not been any demonstrations on any of UWGB’s campuses in support of Israel or Palestine, but there have been demonstrations in Green Bay. “And so I actually feel it’s pretty low-key at UW-Green Bay compared to some of those other contacts, maybe in part because there’s just less knowledge of it,” Coen said. She went on to explain that since colleges encourage students to think about issues, they are more open to thinking critically about complex issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict, an issue that has not had serious debate since the Israeli state was formed in 1948. The relationship between the United States and Israel has always been a given in American culture and has not been substantially challenged until now.
Dr. Ekaterina Levintova, a professor of political science, said that the conflict is becoming more complicated the longer it goes on. The main issue of the conflict is the alleged violation of the Palestinian’s human rights by Israel and is the root of the calls for a ceasefire. Students have become interested in the conflict through seeing images of the effects of the conflict on social media. However, she emphasized the importance of students conducting their own research on the conflict and not getting caught up in sensationalism about the conflict because of headlines or social media posts but trying to gain a deeper understanding of the conflict and the history behind it. Levintova said to not look at just sources from the United States but international news, such as sources like Al Jazeera and other regional media sources that are natively in English. “There is kind of a structural mission of the university to to educate in an unbiased way, which can only be done through debates, and I think there is just a lot of interest amongst the the more you learn, the more you want to know. So that leads to those, and people do care about those issues and with a variety of standpoints,” Levintova said.
The Fourth Estate conducted a survey of students at UWGB about their opinions on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The survey produced mixed results, as students seemed to have strong opinions for both sides of this conflict. When students were asked which side they supported, the split between Israel and Palestine was 10 for Israel and 10 for Palestine. The results also showed 4 students having a neutral stance and 2 students having no opinion. One anonymous student stated, “I’ve felt confident that we’re siding with Israel, and am happy that we choose to support them, but more work can surely be done as Palestine will stop at no means, and have caused endless destruction to a land they should never have owned.” This student supports Israel and believes the United States has done a great job in supporting its allies. Other responses showed support for Palestine and the belief that Israel’s retaliation was excessive. One student wrote, “I feel that, by funding Israel, they are supporting an oppressive state. Hamas is a bad player in this conflict, but Israel has overstepped immensely by killing innocent Palestinians in response. The U.S. funding Israel enables more needless slaughter of innocents.” From the survey we conducted, we noticed that students felt strong one way or the other, but there were also some neutral standpoints as well. One student wrote, “The United States is a melting pot of diversity. For the U.S. to choose sides is hard for our Israeli and Palestinian communities.” Many responses held a neutral standpoint, mostly because of the lack of knowledge on the topic or simply students not having an interest in following this ongoing conflict.
Another question that was asked during our survey was in regard to the idea of the United States supporting a ceasefire. This question provided us with mixed results as well. However, a side seemed to be taken. 14 students stated that they wanted to see a ceasefire, whereas 8 students were against it. This left 4 students stating that they did not have an opinion on this question. Although 54% of students stated that they wanted to see a ceasefire, the results were not strong one way or the other, showing us that there were many students who had strong beliefs on this topic.
History of the Israeli-Palestine Conflict
Since Oct. 7, significant public debate has erupted during the Israel-Hamas war, and college campuses are at the center of that debate. The conflict began after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing more than 1,300 Israelis, injuring 3,300, and taking hundreds of hostages in their initial attack. Since then, tens of thousands of civilians have been either killed or wounded in both Israel and Palestine in the resulting war, with nearly 30,000 dead in Palestine alone. There has been an international controversy surrounding Israel’s conduct in Palestine, both before and during the war, and international calls for a ceasefire.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine runs deep, existing long before Israel’s statehood in 1948. Hamas, a militant group, has been the de facto government of Palestine since 2006. Israel has been accused of committing genocide in Palestine as Israel has attempted to expand to different parts of the region, which has been a centerpiece of the public debate. In the United States, the debate has also addressed whether or not the government should be aiding Israel or supporting Palestine. President Joe Biden has consistently expressed support for Israel, which has generated significant controversy, and further aid for Israel has been making its way through Congress since the war began.
Both Coen and Levintova noted that Israel is one of the United States’ only allies in the Middle East, and the close relationship between Israel and the U.S. has influenced decades of foreign policy and public opinion. Coen noted that the unquestioned nature of the relationship between Israel and the U.S., as well as not as much attention being paid to Israel’s conduct in regard to Palestine, is another factor in the war. Coen further explained that Israel receives billions of dollars in aid, most of which goes to their military budget. “As citizens and taxpayers, you end up indirectly being involved in one party more than the other because the U.S. has a strong alliance with Israel. It’s the most enduring alliance the United States has ever had with any foreign country, and it is the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid than any other country in the world.” Levintova put it as “during the oil crisis, and things like that became really involved in this region, even more so than before. It’s a strategically important region, and it involves one of the strongest allies of the United States,” and tied it to how the issue will affect elections, both in primary elections and in general, based on where candidates fall on the issue of Israel-Palestine.
How the war affects students
On Wednesday, Feb. 21, the Political Science, Global Studies, and Humanities programs hosted an event in Fort Howard Hall in the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts. A panel of students and professors discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the many ways it can be viewed, and possible paths forward. Dr. Alise Coen was one of the panelists, along with other UWGB professors, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Studies (CAHSS) Ryan Martin, and Moises Bahena-Martinez, a student of Coen. The panelists presented information on the geopolitical and historical context of the conflict and the psychology of addressing the conflict in terms of empathy and channeling passions.
During the question and answer portion of the panel, one student confronted the panelists, accusing them of being “goddamn cowards” for their apparent reluctance to condemn Israel during the presentation and call for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict while also noting that a ceasefire would not be effective. He also advocated for a single-state solution to the conflict. This student is a member of the Students for a Democratic Society chapter at UWGB, which is planning several events in support of Palestine, which they assert is experiencing genocide by the Israelis. Another student asked if UWGB’s research, which is available through the UWGB Library, was considering the social media coming out of Palestine showing the dire conditions that are resulting from the war.
The Israel and Palestine conflict has brought attention to both antisemitism and Islamophobia. This is something that students at UW-Green Bay, along with other schools, take into factor. The ongoing anti-Semitic agenda is something that can prolong conflict and cause fear in those who are religious. However, within the Palestinian Territories, there are continued actions that only feed the stereotype. As for students at UW Green Bay and other campuses, Antisemitism and Islamophobia also play a large role in forming opinions and finding solutions.
What are the paths forward?
Being such a polarizing topic not just for students but for the whole country, coming up with solutions will continue to vary, and there is no easy solution to the conflict. When it comes to following the conflict, both Alise Coen and Ekaterina Levintova stress the need for original research, along with listening to what the other side has to say in order to form everyone’s own unique opinion. Regardless of one’s opinion, it is important that students continue to speak to others about this situation in order to keep the conflict in light, as this is a very important pivotal point in a major conflict.
Students have been encouraged to seek out as much information about the topic as possible, especially as the conflict and the United States’ role in it are set to be major topics of debate in the upcoming presidential election. President Joe Biden has already faced substantial criticism from those who support Palestine, as Biden has been a consistent supporter of Israel throughout his public life and has pushed for continued funding for Israel amid the conflict, along with funding for Ukraine and Taiwan. The Biden Administration recently vetoed a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict. Biden’s support for Israel has not played well with younger voters, many of whom are saying they will not vote for Biden because of his support of Israel. Alise Coen noted that younger voters do not turn out to vote as much as other voters.
Throughout the war between Israel and Hamas and the surrounding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, people on both sides have been calling for change. Supporters of Israel call for allowing the country to eliminate Hamas and avenge the events of Oct. 7, while supporters of Palestine call for Israel to halt their aggressive policies and allow Palestine to exist as its own state. People should turn their emotions and anger into action rather than simply sitting in their outrage. Moises Bahena-Martinez, the only student on the CAHSS panel, spoke about solutions to the conflict, saying, “Change cannot only happen at the international level; it must happen within us.”
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