The room fell silent as Cornel West GS '80, Class of 1943 University professor of religion, strolled onto the stage of McCosh 10 last night. Before an eager audience, West cried out for a "Socratic, prophetic, [and] democratic" method for resolving the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
Denouncing both Israeli oppression of Palestinians and those seeking the destruction of Israel, West called for a middle path of reconciliation and mutual accomodation.
The lecture, entitled "What is the Appropriate Response to Suffering in the Middle East," was presented by the Princeton Committee on Palestine.
The group, whose goals are to raise awareness about the conflict in the Middle East and to end Palestinian occupation, hoped that the audience would walk away from the lecture more open to discussion about the controversial topic, said Philippa Townsend, second year graduate student and secretary of the Princeton Committee on Palestine.
Indeed, West opened his speech telling the people "to engage in dialogue [and] critical exchange."
"I want to unsettle each and every one of you, unnerve you, maybe even unhouse you," West said.
"Tacit presuppositions often blind us," West said. "Because the situation itself is so fragile and so contingent," West said, people should enter a dialogue knowing that they might be wrong.
The conflict in the Middle East can actually be classified as four separate wars fought at the same time, he said.
The first war seeks to annihilate Israel; the second is the Palestinian war of resistance; the third war is for Israeli security; and, the fourth war is to ensure Israeli occupation over the Palestinians.
West denounced the first and fourth wars, but said he hoped that Palestine and Israel would win the second and third wars.
"Palestinians have a right to self determination, a right to dignity, a right to respect," West said. Occupation of Palestine resulted in rage, anger, fury and despair, he added.
West criticized both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, calling them corrupt and preoccupied with power, which West dubbed a "gangster proclivity." West said they had vision only for their own people.
West ended his lecture stating that a breakthrough could be made between the Jewish and Arab diaspora. He encouraged people to become part of a dialogue for peace.
"To be a critic and participant of that movement," West said, is to attempt "to make that movement more Socratic, prophetic and democratic."
West was the ideal candidate for this lecture, Townsend said.
"He never shied away from public debate," she said.
After enjoying West's unique charisma on stage, many audience members left the lecture musing over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I wanted to hear his thoughts and to see if they translated into practical rather than conceptual solutions," Olivier Kamanda '03 said.
Ben Rosenberg '05 said the lecture opened his mind to discuss the matter more.
West had roundabout reasoning, Beth Gordon '04 said, but he took a neutral and unbiased approach.
To conclude his speech, West took a firm stance on his view about the sufferings in the Middle East.
"Bigotry is a species of cowardice, and hatred is never excusable," he said.
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