By Shawal Ras
GOMBAK 19 August 2014: Prof. Dr. Johan Galtung was the key speaker at a public lecture on solutions to the Israel-Palestine and Israel-USA/Arab-Muslim conflicts held at the Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws (AIKOL), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) today.
The two-hour event was attended by academicians, delegates, students, as well as the local press.
In his speech, Galtung said the underlying reason behind Israel’s aggression against the Palestinians was their intention to create fear and in the end, to win.
He said “security through peace, not the delusion of the opposite,” should be the way to achieve the utopian state wanted and demanded by all.
Galtung also said it is horrendous to do this to the Palestinians as what the Germans did to the Jews during the Holocaust by claiming “manhood” over a much weaker group of people.
With the tensions currently happening, Galtung predicted the possibility of a new government emerging from the chaos in Israel, following a conflict between the Orthodox Jewish and Zionism itself.
“Everything has its limits. And the present regime has overstepped theirs,” he said.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on since mid-20th century, often referred to as the world’s “most intractable conflict.” This year’s conflict is the deadliest since the Second Intifada. Thousands of civilians have been killed, wounded and lost their homes following constant attacks from both sides.
The public lecture was also attended by the trustees of Perdana Global Peace Foundation: Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Samsudin Hitam and Dato’ Pahamin Rajab, and the Dean of AIKOL, Prof. Dr. Hunud Abia Kadouf.
Galtung is the co-founder of TRANSCEND International and the renowned Chair Holder of Tun Mahathir Chair for Global Peace.
