Boisi Center Provides Information for Middle East Conflicts

In response to the Israel-Palestine conflicts that began in October, the Boisi Center for Religion & American Public Life has released a set of articles and resources for the average student and layperson to understand the history and nature of the war.

The project was conceived after several student members in the Boisi Center remarked that most people they encountered knew only the roughest outline of the issue, and very little of the complicated, decades-long background—a rather embarrassing situation for a well-reputed university to have to deal with.

In response, the Boisi Center has compiled a series of articles from multiple sources and perspectives to give as neutral and informative an introduction to the conflict as possible. Fr. Mark Massa, the director, stated that he intended to give as many angles as possible rather than push one stance onto readers.

Fr. Mark explained that this neutral and balanced approach to information is in line with Boston College’s nature as a university rather than some kind of political organization. He also said that the Boisi Center’s approach intentionally tries to avoid emotional appeals and arguments that might cut against a responsible engagement with the conflicts in the Middle East.

Fr. Mark, as well as others in the Boisi Center, noted the difficulty of actually informing the broader population, but especially the Catholic lay people on campus, citing in particular the concern that many Catholic periodicals take a biased angle, as well as the worry that most people simply don’t know where to turn to find reliable information.

However, despite the challenges, he cited the USCCB’s document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” as a justification for his project, building on the American bishops’ statement that all Catholics have the responsibility to be well-informed on political topics and issues, both local and global.

According to the logic of the USCCB’s document, the resources compiled by the Boisi Center are indispensable for Catholics who need a better understanding so as to more intelligently and compassionately engage with those troubled by the recent outbreak of war.

This only continues the Church’s firm and continuous calls to its members for active engagement with the world, exhibited in documents such as Gaudium et Spes.

The Boisi Center’s resource guide can be found on its website, www.bc.edu/bc-web/centers/boisi-center, under the link “Resource Guide: Understanding October 7, 2023, and the Middle Eastern Conflict.” The articles are organized under four headings: “Israeli-Focused,” “Palestine-focused,” “About Hamas,” and “Other/Background/Context.”

These headings offer articles penned by authors on either side of the conflict, as well as more objective analysis of the political and historical background of Israel and Palestine from the 1940s up to the present day. Fr. Mark noted, as seen above, that the historical grounding is probably what is most needed by average readers.

Fr. Mark advised reading at least the first article under each heading for a solid introduction to the conflict. He also strongly recommended that people forward to others the Boisi Center articles of interest that might further bolster the resource guide.