Recent events in Israel, Gaza, and Egypt are among the topics that’ll be discussed at a Middle East Forum this week in Omaha.
The forum is at noon Thursday atUNO. It’s the second one in what organizers hope is a series of discussions on events in the Middle East. Moshe Gershovich, who teaches History at UNO and is Director of the Middle East Project Fund, says the situation between Israel and Gaza is constantly changing, with a cycle of violence since 2006. He characterizes the cease fire between Israel and Gaza as “fragile.”
Also last week, Egypt’s new president, Mohammed Morsi, announced that his decisions are final and can’t be challenged in court until a new Constitution is in place. Gershovich says there could be additional protests in Egypt over what some see as a power grab by the country’s new leader. “What we are seeing is an attempt by those who are trying to maintain the spirit of the original revolution that occurred in the spring of 2011, to protest and to try to prevent Morsi from completely taking power.”
Another topic at Thursday’s forum will be what President Obama’s second term means for U.S. foreign policy and relations with Middle Eastern nations.
More information on the Middle East Forum is available at www.unomaha.edu.