Concerned about the devastation currently being inflicted on the people of Lebanon and Palestine by the Israeli Military Forces and with the verylimited and biased reporting on these conflicts presented by most American media networks, we have organized a teach-in on the UC Berkeley campus in order to give students, faculty, and the Bay Area community at large achance to gain a greater understanding of these events and to participate in an open discussion on their significance for both Americans and the people of the Middle East. During the first hour of this two-hour event, four scholars with expertise in the Middle East will present short analyses of the historical and political dimensions of this conflict, focusing on the following themes: 1. The role US foreign policy has played in enabling and authorizing the Israeli bombardment; 2. The origins and historical development of Hezbollah, and the role of this movement within Lebanese social and political arenas; 3. The shifting political alignments within Israel, and their relation to the current war on Lebanon and to Israel?s role in the region more broadly; 4. The impact of Israeli military actions in Gaza and the West Bank on the lives of Palestinians and the political landscape of the Palestinian society. The second hour of the teach-in will be reserved for audience questions and comments. Confirmed speakers are UC Berkeley Professors Judith Butler (Rhetoric and Comparative Literature), Beshara Doumani (History), Charles Hirschkind (Anthropology), Saba Mahmood (Anthropology), as well as Zeina Zaatari, Program Officer for the Middle East and North Africa, The Global Fund for Women The teach-in took place in 145 Dwinelle on September 7th.