Palestinian panelist Moien Odeh answers a question, while Israeli panelist Ronnen Paytan looks on, during last Thursday’s community forum in the Storer Ballroom. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Last Thursday night, community members gathered together in Storer Ballroom to hear a group of four panelists share their personal experience and perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

The Community Forum: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Perspectives and Dialogue on Recent Events was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown, who also streamed the event on Zoom.

“One thing we want to emphasize, is that this will be different than the average panel,” said Rotary member Richard Anson. “I’m sorry that this conflict is not going to end soon, given the history, but let’s hope that the war ends soon.”

While much discussion on the conflict has proven inflammatory, since the severity of violent attacks between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples escalated with an attack that killed 1,200 and wounded 5,000 in Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, this panel proved to be a unique opportunity for both sides of those effected by the conflict to be heard. Two Palestinians, international human rights lawyer Moien Odeh and Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace founding member Philip Farah, and two Israelis, George Mason University Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution professor Adina Friedman and defense sector senior executive Ronnen Payton, answered questions on the history of the two people groups’ century-long conflict around the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and the reason this conflict will be difficult to resolve, if not impossible.

“The violence is ongoing. For Israelis, it’s the worst they’ve ever experienced,” Friedman said. “They’re not in a good listening place right now. Israelis are still going to funerals, still waiting for hostages, half of whom may not be alive, even.”

Community forum attendees enjoy Middle Eastern finger food, as they chat together in Storer Ballroom at the end of last Thursday night. Tabitha Johnston

Farah pointed out that the greatest concern with this conflict is how it is causing human rights issues, since Israel has control over the water, diesel, food and electricity flowing to the Gaza Strip.

“Gaza has been under siege for 17 years,” Farah said. “Every drop of water, every bit of electricity, every bit of food that enters Gaza is calculated by Israeli authorities, as Israeli officials have clearly said.”

Once the Oct. 7 attack occurred, Israel stopped the flow of resources to the region, which has forced hospitals to make some life-changing actions, including ending dialysis treatments for cancer patients and turning off incubators and respirators.

“When you drink the water in front of you, think, ‘Today, Palestinians do not have any clean water — only the stock they have in storage, and even that’s declining,'” Farah said. “How will that do anything but increase the rage of Palestinians?

“There are three [water] boilers for 60,000 people in some places. There is no water to flush. There is no food,” Farah said.

From left, panelists Adina Friedman, representing Israel, and Philip Farah, representing Palestine, address questions from the audience in Storer Ballroom last Thursday night. Tabitha Johnston

Farah’s own 84-year-old second cousin was shot and killed in the conflict, when she exited the Church of St. Porphyrius, which she was sheltering in, to take a shower.

“She was immediately shot by a sniper and nobody could go out to rescue her, so she bled all night and died this horrible, terrifying death,” Farah said.

Community forum attendees sign in, at the Storer Ballroom on Thursday night. Tabitha Johnston

Shepherd University Interim Provost Rob Tudor welcomes attendees of the community forum in the Storer Ballroom last Thursday night. Tabitha Johnston