Euphradian society co-hosts debate on Israeli Occupation

Alumnus, advocacy director argue on state of conflict in Middle East

An Israeli-Palestinian debate on whether or not Israeli should withdraw from the land that some say belongs to Palestine heated up the Rutledge Chapel Thursday night.

After the 1967 Six Day War between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Jordan, Israel claimed control of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Some of this territory has been disputed as belonging to the Palestinians and has been a hot-button issue ever since.

Joshua Ruebner, national advocacy director for the Washington-based U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, vehemently argued that Israeli pull back to it’s pre-1967 borders. His opponent, retired businessman and USC alum William Langfan, sincerely argued that Israel must remain secure.

The debate was co-sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program and Euphradian Society, of which Langfan is an alumnus.

“There has never been a valid, legal justification for Israel remaining in belligerent military occupation of these territories they conquered in 1967,” Ruebner said.
Langfan disagreed with Ruebner, saying that his facts don’t coincide with what was said. “Josh said that Israelis attack the Palestinians. All the history that I’ve read said that five Arab countries attacked Israel as soon as it declared itself safe.

Ruebner cited political, financial and “moral costs that Americans have to bear,” since the United States has always been an Israeli ally.

He said that since Israel occupied the Palestinian West Bank in 1967, it has deliberately deprived Palestinians of their human rights.

“Israel has demolished tens of thousands of Palestinian homes,” Ruebner said.

He added that if the United States continues to send Israel money for weapons, we will have spent $30 billion by 2018, with $223 million of that amount coming from South Carolina.

“That same amount of money can provide more than 2700 low-income families with affordable housing vouchers or 3700 unemployed people with jobs training,” he said. “You tell me what’s more important.”

Langfan countered by saying there is a clash of civilizations. “The Palestinians have ideas which are contrary to thinking of the typical Western country.”

For example, he said, when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks happened, the United States, Israel and all the Western countries were in a state of mourning. But not the Palestinians.

“They were dancing in the streets. That is the peaceful Palestinians that Josh is talking about.”

Langfan said that the Palestinians were on the “Saddam‘s (Hussein) side” during the first Gulf War. “What were they yelling in the streets of Palestinian-controlled areas? ‘Saddam, Saddam, shoot your missiles at Israel.’”

Erin Kleinlein, a first-year international business student, said she supports Israel pulling back on the territory.

“I do think that Israel should pull back and let Palestine have the 22 percent that it originally did own mainly because of the human rights issue that is occurring right now in the Middle East.”

But Washington D.C. resident Robin Langfan-Hammer, Langfan’s daughter-in-law, supports Israel staying put.

“I think that Israel’s within its rights and you can’t negotiate with people who don’t recognize your existence to be a country,” she said. “I think Ruebner spoke very well but it’s not what the facts are.”