On Tuesday, November 29, 2000 a debate about the Middle-East crisis was held at the University of Bridgeport. There were four panel members and a moderator. The moderator was Dr. Stoyan Ganev, Director of NEC as well as a professor at UB. The four members were Aaron Faust, President, Yale's Friends of Israeli Organization; Mazin Qumsiyeh, Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Stanley Heller, Chairman of the Middle-East Crisis Committee; and Tarek Sobh, Director, School of Engineering & Design.

Similarly to the Indian-Pakistani debate over Kashmir, the Middle-East crisis proved to be another hard-to-resolve issue in which both parties are not willing to make compromises.

There was one common viewpoint that panel members shared. They were all confident that sooner or later there would be peace in the region, which would be reached through peaceful negotiations rather than more bloodshed.

Their views differed, however, on the issue of what compromises both parties needed to make in order for peace to be achieved.

According to Prof. Sobh, return of the land belonging to Palestinian refugees was a prerequisite for peace. The U.N. Commission, he said, should set the rules for this return and for the restoration of the pre-1967 borders.

Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian Christian, said that there are only two ways in which the crisis can be resolved. Either Israel becomes a binational democratic secular state or Israel complies with the U.N. resolution to restore the borders of 1967.

Stanley Heller pointed out five things that need to be done in order for peace to be reinstated. First, Israel restores the 1967 borders. Second, Israeli legislation ensures full equality of all Israeli citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish. Third, the Israeli government releases from prison all persons except those accused of killing. Fourth, both sides accept a UN tribunal to invetigate and prosecute war criminals. Fifth, the Israeli government withdraws armed forces and Palestinian leaders call for an end to demonstrations.

Aaron Faust presented three arguments against the other three panel members' propositions. First, if the pre-1967 borders are restored, then there is no compromise on the Palestinian side. Furthermore, the new borders were established in 1967 as a result of an attack on the side of the Palestinis. Second, the land of Israel is the only place where Jews are not discriminated against and as such it is very dear to all Jews. Third, Israel will not allow a nation next to it that will constantly want Israel destroyed. It wants certain peace guarantees before such action were to take place.

Dr. Ganev, the discussion moderator, allowed himself to make a closing statement. What he said was, according to him, a product of long thoughts both in Bulgaria (where his previous residency had been) and here in the United States. One lesson that we must learn he said, is that we should allow women to play a more active role in politics. That way, he said, issues will be solved faster and possibly better.