Two weeks ago, Lourdes University organized a panel discussion with an intriguing topic: “In Search of Peace for Israelis and Palestinians: 90 minutes to Find a Solution.” It was an ambitious undertaking. There was some lively discussion, but the panel could not agree on a unanimous solution. There was, however, plenty of stale rhetoric and polemics.

The makeup of the panel was interesting. There was David Finkel, a member of the Jewish Voice for Peace from Detroit; Natan Fuchs, an Israeli-born Jew who is a member of the J Street Movement; Dwight Haase, a sociology professor at the University of Toledo who has taught in the West Bank as a Fulbright scholar; Linda Mansour, a Palestinian lawyer practicing in Toledo; Joel Marcovitch, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo, and Sister Paulette Schroeder, a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams Organization who has spent time in Hebron as a nonviolent observer at Israeli check posts. Jack Lessenberry, the Blade ombudsman and a professor of journalism at Wayne State University, was the moderator. Among the panelists there were three Jews, two Christians, and one Muslim.

The key to peace between the Palestinians and Israelis has been discussed, and almost everyone in the world agrees to the general outline of such a solution: Israel withdraws to 1967 borders, cedes East Jerusalem to Palestinians for their capital, and swaps Israeli land for the Palestinian land currently occupied by the Jewish settlers.

Mr. Fuchs, the Israeli-born Jew, was candid when asked about the immediate measures that could lead to a possible solution. Take the Israeli boots off the necks of Palestinians was his short answer. He said that the Palestinians cannot negotiate while under occupation. The same sentiments were echoed by other panelists as well, except for Mr. Marcovitch, the representative of the Jewish Federation of Toledo, who recounted the times the Palestinians have missed the opportunity to resolve the age-old conflict.

The panel also discussed the current impediments to resolving the conflict. The majority of panelists thought the ongoing building of settlements on Palestinian land is the biggest impediment. The relentless building of settlements on the occupied land was, according to the panelists, a violation of international law, United Nations resolutions, and world opinion — including the official position of the United Sates. Mr. Marcovitch allowed that settlement activity was an impediment to the peace process.

Sister Schroeder has lived in the city of Hebron in occupied Palestine for many years. She described the daily humiliation suffered by the Palestinians while going to work in Israel or to their farming land that the wall has bisected and thus is not accessible without crossing into Israel. She also mentioned the difficulties the ambulances have in crossing the checkpoints.

Mr. Haase, the UT professor, witnessed the same when he taught on the West Bank as a Fulbright scholar.

While the stance of Mr. Marcovitch was consistent with the official Israeli policy, the presence of Mr. Finkel and Mr. Fuchs on the panel brought different perspectives. They each support the state of Israel but are at odds with the continuing occupation of Palestinian lands. To them it is not only unfair to the Palestinians but is detrimental to the long-term survival of Israel as a Jewish state. As Mr. Fuchs pointed out, the ongoing conflict “is tearing the Israeli society apart.”

Most people think, erroneously, that on the subject of Palestinian-Israeli conflict the Jews speak with a single voice. While a great majority of them agree on the right of Israel to exist, many disagree with the official Israeli policies of ongoing occupation of the West Bank. Such organizations include the J Street Movement and the Jewish Voice for Peace. It is surprising that in the local Jewish community such voices are missing or muted.

One would be tempted to brush off the event at Lourdes as an exercise in futility. Though not many minds were changed as a result of the lively panel discussion, it was useful to hear the panelists. All of them had intimate knowledge of the conflict and had closely witnessed the life under the occupation.

In the children’s song “There’s a Hole in the Bucket,” Liza and Henry go in never-ending circles to fix the hole in the bucket. In a way, the panel at Lourdes reminded me of the song.

S. Amjad Hussain is an emeritus professor of surgery and humanities at the University of Toledo. His column appears every other Monday in The Blade. Contact him at: aghaji@bex.net.

First Published December 19, 2016, 5:00 a.m.