The historical contexts and media biases underpinning the Gaza crisis provided the basis for a recent panel discussion organized by Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS).

Contextualizing the Struggle in Gaza provided a timely reminder that 80% of the residents of the besieged Gaza strip are refugees who took refuge after the 1948 Nakba. 75 years later, more than half the population has again been displaced and forced to confront a new wave of danger and catastrophe.

Moderated by Dr. Marc Owen Jones, Associate Professor, CHSS, Contextualizing the Struggle in Gaza provided first-hand insights and analysis of the Gaza crisis from a diverse panel of experts and students. Academic perspectives were offered by Dr. Khaled Al-Hroub, Professor in Residence of the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Northwestern University in Qatar, and Dr. Basma Al-Dajani, Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the College of Arts in the University of Jordan. Both engaged with student panelists from the CHSS, and took questions from the floor and an online audience. Dr. Ibrahim Arafat, Professor, CHSS, wrapped up the session with closing remarks, summarizing the historical and current context of the struggle. 

Speaking after the discussion, Dr. Marc Owen Jones said: “Despite the unfortunate circumstances that ultimately informed this event, we were nevertheless honored to host Dr. Khaled Al-Hroub and Dr. Basma Al-Dajani. Both offered deep insights into the history of the Gaza crisis, providing food for thought for their fellow panelists and audience members. We’d like to thank them for their participation and engagement with our audience, and would like to thank our students, who did not only interact but played an active role in the content and organization of the panel discussion.”