Please join UC Berkeley’s Palestinian & Arab Studies Program for a book talk of From Apartheid to Democracy: A Blueprint for Peace in Israel-Palestine featuring co-author Sarah Leah Whitson (DAWN MENA) and Dr. Wadie Said (University of Colorado).

Date: Thursday, November 14, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Location: 297 Law School Building, UC Berkeley
Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Event desciption:
For more than three decades, the illusion of a two-state solution under the auspices of the Oslo Accords has allowed Israel to maintain a one-state reality of permanent occupation and apartheid. Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man and Sarah Leah Whitson challenge this approach, presenting a road map to end these crimes and create a rights-respecting regime for everyone now living under Israeli control ... Breaking with the failures of the past, the plan presented here makes clear that ongoing violations of basic human rights must be ended before issues of governance can be equitably addressed. Clear-eyed yet hopeful, Omer-Man and Whitson offer proof of concept that democracy and equality are indeed attainable—and call on the international community to create the conditions required for them to flourish.

Please join UC Berkeley’s Palestinian & Arab Studies Program for a lecture: “Framing Genocide: Western Media and Political Discourse in Gaza" featuring Dr. Assal Rad (Non-Resident Fellow, Arab Center Washington DC)

Date: Tuesday, November 04, 2025
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Location: 3335 Dwinelle Hall (Level C), UC Berkeley

Event description:
Exploring mainstream media bias in the coverage of Gaza. By amplifying official narratives, minimizing Palestinian suffering, and obscuring Israeli responsibility for ongoing violence, this talk demonstrates how Western media reinforces power narratives and shapes public perceptions.

Speaker bio:
Dr. Assal Rad is a historian of the modern Middle East and a Nonresident Fellow at Arab Center Washington DC. She works on research and writing related to U.S. foreign policy issues, the Middle East, contemporary Iran, and Israel/Palestine. Her writing can be seen in Newsweek, The National Interest, The Independent, Foreign Policy and more, and she has appeared as a commentator on BBC World, Al Jazeera, CNN, and NPR. Assal completed a PhD in History from the University of California, Irvine in 2018 and is the author of The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Follow Assal on X/Twitter: @AssalRad

PAS Director Shines light on Palestinian Studies at UC Berkeley