To facilitate a discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, two films presenting divergent viewpoints will be screened on the Huntington campus of Marshall University.

The film series, titled “Israel and Palestine: Is Peace Possible?”, will begin with a screening of each documentary followed by a panel discussion and a question-and-answer session led by three Marshall University faculty members with specializations in this area.

“Occupation 101,” which presents a viewpoint supporting the Palestinian perspective, will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 2. The second film, “The Case for Israel: Democracy’s Outpost,” an Israeli documentary that portrays the Israeli perspective, will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7. Both presentations will be in the new multipurpose room in the lower level of the Memorial Student Center (MSC BE5) on Marshall’s Huntington campus.

The members of the panel are: Dr. David Mills, Department of History; Dr. Richard Garnett, Department of Sociology; and Dr. Stephen Cooper, Communication Studies. Mills is a historian who specializes in the Middle East. Garnett teaches a course on the Holocaust and researches territorial conflicts giving consideration to resource allocation. Cooper researches media criticism.

Dr. David J. Pittenger, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, will make welcoming remarks at both events and Dr. Marybeth Beller, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, will serve as moderator.

The presentation of the film series is not an endorsement of either perspective by Marshall University or the College of Liberal Arts.

“The two films present pointedly different perspectives of the history and current conditions related to Israel and Palestine, and represent one of the more politically charged debates of our time,” acknowledged Pittenger. “As an institution of higher education, we are the open marketplace of ideas that provides a forum for the forthright and respectful discussion of divergent viewpoints. This freedom of expression is an essential protection of the engaged citizen living in a contemporary democracy.”

The Marshall University community and the public are invited to attend.

For more information, contact Dr. Marybeth Beller at 304-696-2763.