Walzer isolates four distinct Israeli-Palestinian wars

University students and faculty engaged in lively discussion in response to Professor Michael Walzer's lecture last night. The debate was respectful despite a wide spectrum of viewpoints. The lecture asserted that there are four separate wars in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, two of which are unjust and must be abandoned.

Walzer, a permanent faculty member of the Institute for Advanced Study and a renowned political theorist, spoke on "The Four Wars of Israel-Palestine" as part of Israel Week, a week-long series of events sponsored by the Princeton Israel Public Affairs Committee that focuses on cultural, educational and political aspects of Israel that was .

On a campus where guest lectures often see few undergraduate attendees, more than 50 students and faculty members braved the torrential rain to discuss the nature of the Middle East situation and possible solutions .

Walzer acknowledged that "the Israelis and Palestinians seem to be at an impasse" because their objectives seem irreconcilable. To work toward a solution, he said, a clear understanding of the conflict must be reached.

"There isn't one war in the Middle East today, one war which one side or the other side might win," he said. "There are four wars now in progress, and it is enormously difficult to coordinate their termination."

Walzer listed the wars as the Palestinian war against Israel, led by radicals and unjustly fought through terrorism; the Palestinian war for an independent state, a legitimate right in Walzer's opinion; the Israeli war for security within Israel's borders, which most Israeli soldiers believe in; and the Israeli war for greater Israel, an unreasonable attempt to expand control to settlements and occupied territories.

The accomplishment of the goals of the second and third wars — "just wars" — Walzer said, is contingent on the renunciation of the first and fourth wars. The Palestinians must condemn terrorism and make it clear that the state they want is one that stands beside Israel, he said. Simultaneously, Israel must abandon goals of expanding Israeli control to settlements and occupied territories outside its borders, Walzer said.

After the lecture, he opened the floor for questions, and a large portion of the audience eagerly added differing perspectives on the topic. Many students seemed to feel that Walzer did not hold Israel sufficiently morally responsible for the conflict, especially regarding the refugee situation and certain Israeli strikes that did not seem essential to Israeli security.

Alexandra Silver '05, who helped organize the lecture, said she was pleased with the dynamic discussion. She said the goal was to "create an ongoing dialogue" on the topic, in order to promote understanding and clarification of the issues.

Silver pointed out as evidence of the lecture's power the number of audience members who stayed after the lecture to discuss their opinions.

"I think that means it was successful," she concluded.