Students for a Peaceful Palestinian-Israeli Future, a new Student Union group, has started with the mission to promote campus dialogue about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with a focus on a peaceful conclusion. Its first event, a discussion forum between faculty, including assistant history professor Nancy Reynolds, and students will be held on Nov. 30 to start the dialogue on the peace process.

Students for a Peaceful Palestinian-Israeli Future (SPPIF) President Aaron Weininger, a junior, said, “Essentially, this club provides a space for progressive students to come together and talk about the conflict through programming and education and constructive dialogue to see if we can come up with solutions for the peace process.”

“We believe that to have a holistic understanding of the Middle East, you need to explore politics, religions,” said Weininger.

While other student groups on campus have been considered for co-sponsorship of some of SPPIF’s events, the group plans to stand on their own for a while.

The president of the Muslim Student Association, sophomore Tasmeem Ahmad, noted, “We agree that it’s a great purpose, a good club, and everyone in it is really passionate about their cause. We have overlapping members, and we definitely support a peaceful future.”

With several pro-Israel groups on campus, such as Wash. U. Students for Israel (WSI), SPPIF provides a place for discussing the big picture in the Middle East crisis, with a chance to hear from both sides. WSI President Ben Yungher, a sophomore, said, “It’s a unique approach. WSI is a pluralistic movement, where people from the right and left wings can express their views, whereas this is more progressive movement. I’m sure there will be a lot of positive reaction to it.”

Sophomore Mollie Spevack, SPPIF’s vice president, emphasized the differences between SPPIF and other groups. “It’s a forum for people to get our and their ideas, what you feel about the conflict, what you feel about the future for peace. It’s really a place for students to vent.”

Also an executive member of WSI, Spevack said, “SPPIF is really trying to reach out to all members of the community – Muslim, Christian, Jewish, etc. We’re making an effort to have a representative group of students.”

Some of club’s future events include a fundraiser in the spring that may donate money to a group called Seeking Common Ground, which backs a charity-run two-week camp for Israeli and Palestinian girls in Colorado.

“Basically every girl there has been drastically affected, intimately involved in the conflict. The other side has a face, and they try and work through their feelings about their conflicts and [realize] that hate is not an option,” said Spevack.

Weininger was optimistic about the semester’s events. “We’re trying to get people to share their beliefs,” he said, “and to provoke people in a positive way to come out in a peaceful environment to engage other students.”

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