Since October 7 2023, the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has led to public protests against Israel and demands for an immediate ceasefire. In this connection, controversy over antisemitism on campuses across the globe, including Oxford, has intensified. At the heart of the controversy is the definition of antisemitism published by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The definition has been adopted by numerous states and institutions, including Oxford University.

Nick Maynard, Debbie Harrington and Rebecca Ingliss have many years of experience of travelling to Gaza to teach medical students and provide humanitarian medical care, including work at Al Aqsa Hospital in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. They will talk about their experiences, and specifically about the devastating impact of the direct targeting of the health care system and healthcare workers in Gaza.

This panel event, with Sonja Mejcher-Atassi, author of 'An Impossible Friendship', Marilyn Booth, author of 'The Career and Communities of Zaynab Fawwaz', and Peter Hill, author of 'Prophet of Reason', will discuss the writing of biography in modern Middle Eastern history.

Book abstracts:

'An Impossible Friendship: Group Portrait, Jerusalem Before and After 1948' -

Book Launch:
In August 2020, Donald Trump announced that his administration had brokered a ground-breaking treaty between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the first normalization agreement between Israel and an Arab state in more than twenty years. Soon afterward, Bahrain joined the agreements, known as the Abraham Accords. How were these treaties achieved, and why did the parties involved see normalization as in their interest? In what ways have the accords altered the Middle East’s political landscape, and how have they affected the question of Palestine?

Ms Egian’s presentation will explore the role played by Arab States on the UN Security Council during their terms as non-permanent Council members, and what impact they may have had on issues related to the Middle East.

Rabbani will examine the extent to which regional dynamics played a role in the 7 October 2023 attacks, the position of Hamas within the coalition known as the Axis of Resistance, and how the Gaza crisis has influenced the region's politics during the past year.

Abstract:

This book talk on 'A Concise History of the Middle East' will discuss history-in-the-making. Close to a year after 7 October 2023, the reverberations of these events will be felt for generations to come, yet are uncertain. Nevertheless, this 'History' textbook has documented the region’s past for more than four decades for thousands of students, the 13th edition’s conclusions do reveal a troubling future in terms of political conflicts and climate insecurity.