And thank you all for taking the time to read it, and for caring about what is being taught to young people about Israel.
George Rishmawi may no longer be formally with ISM, but his perspective and approach are not likely to improve the understanding of Olive Tree Initiative (OTI) students, help them develop conflict resolution skills, or help pave the way to conciliation and peace either on the UCI campus or in the Middle East.
There is little doubt that Palestinians and Israelis suffer because of the ongoing conflict, and that deeper, first-hand knowledge could help Americans better understand the issues. But those who hear or are hosted by Rishmawi are not getting that deeper knowledge. Instead, they should be debriefed after their meetings with him.
Roberta P. Seid, PhD, an historian, teaches a course on Israel at UCI and is Education-Research Director for StandWithUs, an international Israel education organization.