Release date: Aug. 24, 2005
Contact: Elaine Justice at 404-727-0643 or elaine.justice@emory.edu

Emory Experts Available to Comment on What's Next for Gaza

Gordon Newby

Gaza History Speaks Volumes, Says Emory's Newby

The history of Gaza speaks volumes on Israel's recent pullout from the region, according to Gordon Newby, professor and chairman of Middle Eastern and South Asian studies at Emory University. Despite its ancient ties with Jewish scripture, "Gaza has never been considered part of the Land of Israel, according to Jewish law," says Newby. "Gaza was the southernmost part of the Philistine kingdom. Even though Hebrew scripture assigns Gaza to the Tribe of Judah, it was never held by Judah for very long, and will only come to them at the end of time."

For Israeli settlers in Gaza, however, occupation of the land was a kind of messianic end-of-time movement, he says. "The settlers believe the age of rabbinic laws is coming to a close and the age has come for fulfilling scripture mentioning Gaza as promised to the Tribe of Judah. This is a minority view. The majority view is that Israel has no religious claim to Gaza."

Gaza came under Roman rule in 57 BCE, and was the seat of Christian bishops in the fourth and fifth centuries. Muslims conquered Gaza in 634 AD. Israeli settlements in Gaza began in the 1970s, but were established for more ideological than religious reasons.

For Muslims, too, there has been a kind of end-time force behind a claim to Gaza. "There is the feeling that because it is a land that at one time was ruled by the Muslims, it needs to be kept in Muslim hands or recaptured if taken away," says Newby. "This for some Muslims is regarded as one of the things they must strive to do to bring about the proper end of time. Hamas' claims that Gaza is Muslim land abrogates everything about Jewish and Christian claims."

Newby's academic focus is the history of Jews, Muslims and Christians from the rise of Islam to the present. As a result, he is able to provide perspective on many of the world's conflicts, including the Arab/Israeli situation and the attacks against the United States and the resulting war on terrorism. With a background as an historian, Newby also sees the big picture of the region as a whole. Reach Newby at 404-727-2717 w, or gdnewby@emory.edu.

Kenneth Stein, an expert in the history and politics of the Middle East, particularly with respect to Israel and Arab-Israeli relations, is available to discuss the impact of Israel's Gaza withdrawal on Palestinian and Israeli politics.

Stein can discuss the withdrawal as it relates to historic goals of Zionism and aspirations of Palestinian national fulfillment—and the acknowledgement that the only solution is separation of peoples and land west of the Jordan River.

Stein also can address where the Gaza withdrawal and Palestinian state growth fit into the context of the U.S. Greater Middle East Initiative. Is the Bush administration more, or less, engaged than in the first presidential term? Stein is looking at how the transitions in the Palestinian-Israeli theater affect Iraq problems and the prospects for both situations.

Stein is William E. Schatten Professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History and Israeli Studies and director of Emory's Institute for the Study of Modern Israel, and director of the Middle East Research Program.

A Carter Center fellow (and former director) for Middle East affairs since 1983, Stein's areas of expertise are the social and political composition of the Palestinian community in the 20th century, contemporary Arab politics, modern Israel, the Arab-Israeli negotiating process, and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. He is a frequent commentator for the media on matters relating to the contemporary Middle East.

Reach Stein at 404-727-4472 w, or kenneth.stein@emory.edu.

Mahmoud Al-Batal, a native of Lebanon, is professor of Middle Eastern studies at Emory who teaches Arabic language and culture. He can offer perspective from a cultural viewpoint. 404-727-6438 w, 678-642-8720 c, albatal@emory.edu.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. For nearly two decades Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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