The George Mason University community got the opportunity to hear a key opinion in the long-running conflict between Israel and Palestine. Dr. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, spoke about the current status of the negotiations between Israel and Palestine, treating the audience to an in-depth analysis of the more contentious details of the talks.
The Mason Global Affairs Student Organization (MGASO) organized the Feb. 16 event, which attracted a crowd of more than 110 students, faculty, staff and nearby community members. These attendees heard a significant opinion of a prominent issue that has maintained front-page status for much of the recent past.
“Dr. Mansour's knowledgeable and collaborative remarks provided a perspective of hope and understanding for the people of Palestine and for a peace between the two parties,” said Laura Boyette, global affairs master’s student and vice president of MGASO. “We were fortunate to have him come to Mason and we're very excited to plan future events.”
Mansour spoke of a variety of topics related to peace treaty negotiations, including his perspective of where Israel would not make sufficient concessions. He also talked about the status of Palestine’s statehood applications at the United Nations, held up by Israeli objections. All in all, he argued passionately that he and Palestine had done all they could, and that there were no reasonable objections to deny a long-desired two-state solution.
Stu Carroll, global affairs masters student and president of MGASO, said Dr. Mansour’s appearance at Mason is both an achievement for any organization and very relevant to today’s global concerns.
“This is one of a handful of topics that has defined recent history, and it will remain an important issue going forward,” Carroll said. “If you look at the discourse on global studies, the Palestine-Israel conflict ranks at or near the top of the list. As a student organization, we are committed to being on top of the most pressing global issues.”
Mansour’s remarks reached a variety of individuals. The 110 attendees spanned all corners of the Mason community, including the Muslim Students’ Association, Students for Justice in Palestine and the GMU Israel Club. Other notable attendees included a National Geographic documentarian, an individual from the Brookings Institute and another from the Asteria Philanthropic Foundation.
This was MGASO’s first event, and its success was very encouraging for Boyette and Carroll.
“As MGASO grows, we hope that more people will recognize the need for more interdisciplinary discourse concerning every area of global interaction,” Boyette said.