Students for Middle East Peace, a campus group formed last year in order to foster dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, hosted a conference this Sunday on campus that focused on conflict mediation and nonviolent solutions to the situation in Israel. The conference drew over 50 students from universities including George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, West Point, Wesleyan University and the University of Pennsylvania to ICC.
The conference was planned by the board of SMEP earlier this year in order to attract attention to the group and to the conflict in the Middle East.
“We wanted to get out what we’re about,” President Rebecca Helmer (SFS ‘05) said. “There are a lot of students looking to form dialogue groups and hear different perspectives.”
SMEP Press Coordinator David Waytz (SFS ‘05) said the conference had the unintended benefit of creating networks for involved students.
Helmer said that SMEP can learn by seeing what is happening at other universities. All the student groups face similar issues, such as getting people involved, she said.
Compared to other universities, Helmer said that SMEP is a relatively new organization. Some of the student groups at other universities are more political than SMEP, she said. But Helmer said she thought that Georgetown students are more passionate and involved than students on most campuses.
The conference lasted from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with speakers and workshops run by experts in conflict resolution. The students also participated in “Living Room” dialogues which are informal forums where students can share their experiences.
SMEP board member Omar Wahab (SFS ‘05) said the conference was a success for both SMEP and visiting students, who told SMEP board members that the conference was “well-organized and got the point across.”
The conference was the first hosted by SMEP, so turn-out was not very high, Wahab said. SMEP plans to host a second conference next year and hopes to bring more speakers and social events to campus this semester, he said.
Sunday’s events were followed by a concert by Falafel, a Georgetown Jewish-Arab band. The conference was co-sponsored by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, the Georgetown Israeli Alliance and Am Kolel Judaic Resource Center Peace Center.
