As Israeli and Palestinian leaders convened Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland to resume peace talks that had lain dormant for seven years, students on campus prepared to engage in their own dialogue about the prospect of solutions in the Middle East.

Members from Washington University’s Students for a Peaceful Palestinian Israeli Future (SPPIF), working with a national progressive Zionist group, initiated a “Day of Action” Wednesday to shed light on the Annapolis peace conference and to advocate for peaceful resolution in the region.

The group distributed informational flyers to passersby in Mallinckrodt Center, hoping to at least keep the Middle East conflict in the conscience of the University community, and at most to encourage students to speak out at a weekly meeting on the issue.

Some members wore Palestinian and Israeli flags on their backpacks as displays of solidarity.

“At the very least, 100 people glanced over the flyers,” said sophomore Robert Fares, president of SPPIF. “At least the next time those people read about [the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] in the news, they’ll be able to say, ‘I know what that is.’”

Written on the flyers were topics typically considered “taboo” in reference to Israel, like the Palestinian refugee issue, Jerusalem, and the West Bank settlements.

“Nothing should be taboo in this debate,” said Fares, “and nothing is taboo for us.”

SPPIF, launched two years ago by students who wanted a forum for constructive and diverse-both ideologically and ethically-dialogue on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, now has more than 20 loyal members and an executive board that teamed up with four other major universities-Harvard, Stanford, Michigan and Maryland-to sponsor the “day of action.”

The day’s main purpose, according to Fares, was to raise awareness and show the community that optimism about the situation is not a feeling of the past.

“People are going to know that everyone’s not hopeless, and there’s a group that’s out there that believes in peace,” said Fares.

“Our goal for the day was simply to promote the peace conference and to challenge or combat the apathy,” said senior Aviva Joffe.

At the Annapolis conference, representatives from 46 countries-including 16 from the Middle East-began what peacemakers hope will be the first step towards sustainable solutions in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas committed to devise a peace treaty by the end of 2008, marking the first time in the Bush administration that the two sides formally sought an agreement.

As with every major decision regarding the Middle East, the conference itself was mired in controversy. Some criticized the Bush administration for hosting the talks after seven years of relative detachment from the issue, expressing skepticism over Bush’s genuine degree of interest.

Both the Israeli and Palestinian governments have called the meeting a significant step, but insist more pressure be applied to radical fundamentalists opposed to peace.

“The conference provided a mechanism for negotiation, and from that perspective Annapolis was a success,” said Andy David, a representative from the Israeli Consulate in Chicago. “It’s part of the responsibility of the international community to marginalize the radicals, like Hezbollah and Hamas. Both sides need to feel confident that their decisions will be supported.”

On campus, the prevailing view of SPPIF remained that any dialogue between the clashing countries was worthwhile.

“Something is better than nothing,” said Joffe. “After seven years of no action, you can’t expect anything huge or revolutionary. But you have to embrace the first step. The first step is crucial.”

Joffe, who, along with other concerned students, began SPPIF two years ago, has seen the organization evolve from a small discussion group into a major voice on campus.

“In two years, we’ve really established ourselves. Every semester we’ve had a big event that has attracted over 100 people,” said Joffe.

That event in the spring will feature Ari Sandel, writer and producer of the Oscar award-winning musical comedy “West Bank Story,” who will speak as a part of the Assembly Series in April.

SPPIF will host its weekly meeting this Monday in Danforth Seminar Room A at 8 p.m., and the Annapolis conference will be the topic of discussion.

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