The Pasha's Palace in Gaza in January 2024. (Credit: AFP)
Co-organizer, along with Mathilde Boudier, of a conference series dedicated to the millennia-long history of the Gaza Strip, which opens on March 10 at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, medieval historian Anne-Marie Edde spoke to L’Orient-Le Jour about the importance of preserving and passing on this heritage, at a time when Israel has made clear its intent to erase Palestinian identity. Why organize a conference series on the history of Gaza today and highlight its millennia-old heritage? In the current circumstances, it is more necessary than ever to remind people that the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not begin on Oct. 7, 2023, but is part of a much longer historical trajectory.In the discourse of Israeli officials today, there is a denial of the very existence of the Palestinians — a rhetoric that claims...
Co-organizer, along with Mathilde Boudier, of a conference series dedicated to the millennia-long history of the Gaza Strip, which opens on March 10 at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, medieval historian Anne-Marie Edde spoke to L’Orient-Le Jour about the importance of preserving and passing on this heritage, at a time when Israel has made clear its intent to erase Palestinian identity. Why organize a conference series on the history of Gaza today and highlight its millennia-old heritage? In the current circumstances, it is more necessary than ever to remind people that the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not begin on Oct. 7, 2023, but is part of a much longer historical trajectory.In the discourse of Israeli officials today, there is a denial of the very existence of the Palestinians — a rhetoric that...