Written by Belle de Jong
This article was written by an independent writer whose views are not associated with The Third Eye.
The University of Malta hosted its first-ever teach-in on a topic that has dominated global headlines since 7 October. On the first of December, The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Explained saw some hundred students gathering in the Arts Lecture Theatre, eager to listen to the insights and experiences of academics, Palestinian students, writers, and journalists, on the increasingly unliveable situation in Gaza. The teach-in would be “the first of many”, Prof. Carmen Sammut noted in her opening remarks.
Initiated by the Education Department and organised in collaboration with the International Relations Department, the teach-in aimed to offer a detailed context to help students understand the resistance to occupation and shed light on the challenges faced by Palestinians in Gaza and the diaspora.
(De)constructing narratives
Dr. Louise Chircop, Head of the Department of Education Studies, set the tone for the teach-in by highlighting the lack of contextualisation in mainstream narratives surrounding Israel-Palestine within the settler colonial framework. She criticised the tendency of Western politicians and media to label the October 7 Hamas attack on Israeli citizens as ‘unprovoked’, neglecting the broader context of repeated military campaigns, illegal incarcerations, settler activities, and the imprisonment of children. While she considers the Maltese education strong in terms of knowledge and content, it is much weaker when it comes to critical consciousness – one of the reasons this teach-in was organised. Chircop emphasised the importance of cultivating critical consciousness in a globalised world: “We need to care. Not because it might happen to us, but because we are human.”
Academic neutrality vs. challenging diplomacy
International Relations Professor James Sater provided a political science perspective, advocating for academic neutrality that explains context without endorsing any specific actions. “We explain context without justifying any action”, he said, though with one major exception: the risks of never-ending escalation and human suffering. The concept of neutrality in cases of social injustices and human rights violations was later challenged by Dr. Rawia Ben Kayal. Drawing from her personal experience of war in Libya, she argued that neutrality is inappropriate when dealing with such issues, emphasising the responsibility to speak out against diplomatic passivity. “It is not how the world should be: diplomatic and neutral about human rights”, she said, denouncing the characterisation of the conflict as a mere clash or self-defense, but rather the 75-year-long occupation and expulsion of Palestinians. “It is not self-defense; it is genocide.”
Voices from Palestine
The teach-in provided a platform for two Palestinian students, Nour Zaqout and Deema Alnahal, to share their personal experiences and perspectives, allowing for genuine discourse with contributions from those who are most affected by it.
Against a backdrop of personal images – a smiling girl in a pink dress, a Palestinian woman making a peace sign, and parents holding hands at home – Zaqout sheds light on Gaza’s dire situation. Having recently moved to Malta for humanitarian studies, she underscores Israel’s control over resources, detailing the scarcity of water, food, and electricity. Having survived multiple wars in Palestine, she recounts the IDF-initiated aggression throughout the years, stressing Israel’s aim to dismantle Gaza’s entire infrastructure. “They target everything in Gaza: doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, schools”, she said, refuting the notion that these structures harbour Hamas militants. “There is no excuse for indiscriminate targeting. There is no Hamas in these buildings.”
Alnahal, who has been living in Malta since 2018, shared the harrowing reality of living in Gaza, where no place feels safe. She mourned the recent loss of her uncle amidst the difficulties of maintaining contact with family members, as power outages leave Gaza in the dark. Earlier in the morning, she received a message from her cousin, saying the IDF targeted a place in her neighbourhood and they cannot breathe because of the smoke from the internationally forbidden phosphorus they are using. “Is this fighting Hamas? Is this fighting resistance?” she asks.
Intersecting identities
While there has been widespread support for Palestine from the global queer community, some queer people feel their support for Palestine is at odds with their sexual identity. Dr. Omar N’Shea, Director of the International School for Foundation Studies, brought a unique perspective by examining the intersectionality of queer support for Palestine. As the Israel Defense Forces posted a photo with a rainbow flag on the ruins of Gaza, he asks: “Is this meant to be a victory for queer people? How can we bring the pride flag, representing oppressed and marginalised groups, to a place with the indiscriminate bombing of schools and hospitals?”
Exploring the concepts of homonationalism and pinkwashing, N’Shea exposed Israel’s manipulation of lgbtq+ rights as a tool for justifying ethnic cleansing, drawing attention to the paradox of framing Palestinians as barbaric and uncivilised while portraying Israel as a symbol of progress and modernity. Applying radicalised homophobia exclusively to Muslims is a trope that is far more destructive than regular homophobia, he noted, as Israel exploits this homonationalism to cover up human rights abuses in Gaza while Israel public figures remain openly homophobic. He argued this idea of “some rights for some gays” feeds into the justification of killing of Gazans, posing the question: “How can Israel claim to bring democracy to the dead?”
Literary and journalistic perspectives
The discussion expanded to explore various approaches to understanding and addressing the conflict. Director of the Centre for the Study and Practice of Conflict Resolution, Prof. Gordon Sammut, delved into possible resolutions, emphasising the binary nature of conflict endings: victory or truce. Karl Schembri, a former journalist and Media Adviser with the Norwegian Refugee Council, drew from his experiences living in Gaza to describe the heavily monitored border with Israel and the way Israel keeps Gazans on a diet close to starvation. Gazans were so dehumanised, he said, that even Palestinians in the West Bank were made to believe that Gaza was dangerous. Despite the immense challenges faced by Gazans, Schembri expressed hope: “Gaza always fights back. There’s an incredible spirit of resistance and resilience that makes it blossom under all sorts of adversity.”
Prof. Adrian Grima, Head of the Department of Maltese, highlighted the censorship of Palestinian author Adania Shibli at the Frankfurt Book Festival. Grima used literature as a lens to contextualise displacement, loss, identity, and resistance in Gaza, showcasing the powerful role that storytelling plays in understanding the human dimension of the conflict.
Sowing seeds for growth
The university’s first-ever teach-in unveiled a rich tapestry of perspectives on the current developments in Israel-Palestine, from challenging academic neutrality to amplifying voices from the region. The path forward beckons with unresolved questions. How will the clash between neutrality and responsibility shape future discussions? What role will the intersectionality of queer support and the power of literature play in the ongoing dialogue? The echoes of the teach-in linger, inviting students to contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding Israel-Palestine.