Faculty, staff and students gathered in the Chapman Auditorium on April 6 to hear from Ezzeldeen Masri and Tomer Ben-Ezer on the Israeli-Palestine as a part of The Conversation at Trinity lecture series. Masri and Ben-Ezer’s message to Trinity was simple: Talk.
Masri and Ben-Ezer, who spoke on behalf of the PeaceWorks Foundation, come from opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Masri moved from Gaza to the United States at 10 years old and eventually obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in “Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution.” He then served in the Palestinian foreign ministry as its first peace secretary and eventually joined PeaceWorks after meeting Daniel Lubetzky, class of ‘90 and founder of the PeaceWorks Foundation.
In contrast, Ben-Ezer moved to the United States from Israel in 2018. While he said he enjoyed debate, he tried to avoid politics during his time at American University. However, he said he was pushed into it after facing antisemetic harassment on campus when students defaced posters promoting his piano recital. Eventually, he said he found Palestinian students who were also interested in balanced discussions centered around a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. What started as off-the-record debates between students became a real job when he was recruited to PeaceWorks, he said.
Despite being on different sides of the conflict, Masri and Ben-Ezer share the same goal: to normalize talks to reach a peaceful, two-state solution to the conflict. Masri said that student and Arab movements have adopted a policy of “anti-normalization,” which rejects peace discussion since it normalizes Israeli military occupation. However, Masri disagreed with this strategy.
“I have a total rejection to that. This is not true, what they are saying, because this is our conflict. And we need to talk. Not just me and [Ben-Ezer] on the personal level, but also the government level,” Masri said in an interview with the Trinitonian.
Both speakers view their work with PeaceWorks as the best way to help their nations in the United States, regardless of where their conversations started.
“PeaceWorks allowed me and other Palestinians to work in this nonprofit organization and to use our voice against occupation and the for the establishment of a two-state solution,” Masri said.
The speakers said that participating in protests and using inflammatory rhetoric hurts both sides more than it helps. Instead, students should engage in discussion and debate with those who hold opposing views from theirs.
“We will never progress or learn if you never get yourself in a situation where you’re uncomfortable. You have to learn and hear. And sometimes you’re going to hear stuff you disagree with or don’t like, but that’s the only way you’ll learn,” Ben-Ezer said.
Throughout the lecture, attendees asked questions on a two-state solution, the broader regional implications of peace between Israel and Palestine, and the role of the United States in mediating and ending the conflict. But the broader theme of peace between the two countries remained.
“The majority of Palestinians want to see an end to the occupation and the removal of checkpoints, and to allow for us to have our independent Palestinian state, let it be demilitarized and to live in peace and economic prosperity next to Israel,” Masri said at the event. “The silent majority in both countries, Israel and Palestine, want an end to this conflict. Because the silent majority wants to raise their kids. They want to send them off to college. They want to live.”
*This story was updated on April 9, 2026.
