Forum fails to give balanced viewpoints

By Daniel Ledeen     1/22/09 6:00pm

The "Crisis in Gaza" forum held last Thursday was far from the kind of balanced conversation that had been promised. Rather than presenting both the Palestinian and Israeli perspective on the most recent events in Gaza, three of the four professors were pro-Palestinian and the lone Israeli speaker was far from enthusiastic about having to represent the Israeli voice on the panel. As a result, students left the forum having heard a wildly one-sided point of view on the Arab-Israeli conflict.The audience flowed out of Herring Hall with a full dose of pro-Palestinian propaganda absent any defense for not only Israel's incursion into Gaza but, more fundamentally, Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. No speaker on the panel discussed Hamas' self-proclaimed mission to wipe Israel off the map as part of its larger dream to massacre the world's Jews. A brief glance at Hamas' charter reveals an anti-Semitic organization whose sole purpose is the destruction of Israel with zero possibility for any peace agreement.

Not only did the professors on the panel fail to point out Hamas' destructive mission statement, but no one even mentioned Iran.

While for many years academics and self-proclaimed experts refused to admit any connection between Shiite Iran and Sunni Hamas because of the sectarian divide, today only someone willfully blind would fail to recognize Iran's sponsorship of Sunni terrorist organizations. Iran, a country whose government has denied the Holocaust and called for the annihilation of Israel while killing Americans on the battlefield in Iraq, is indeed the prime sponsor of Hamas as well as Hezbollah but you wouldn't have known that from listening to the "Crisis in Gaza" forum.

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What is perhaps more disheartening is the seemingly abundant number of professors at Rice readily available to defend the Palestinian point of view but not one who can defend Israel's right to exist. Bringing Ranan Kupperman from Israel for a semester was perhaps a first step in bringing about a more balanced perspective but this was at best a futile stop-gap measure. As we here at Rice continue on the road of dialogue and multiculturalism let us ensure that we aren't leaving important and valid viewpoints out of the discussion.

Even with Iran's incendiary comments about Israel and the Jewish people as well as its incredible list of human rights violations towards laborers, women and homosexuals, President David Leebron went to Tehran and visited with government officials and individuals affiliated with the university system. How can it be that we are more willing to seek out the voice and opinions of those who wish us destroyed than we are our own allies? In today's world we are so concerned about eurocentrism and notions of western imperialism that we are beginning to silence ourselves for fear of insulting those who seek to silence others.

During the question and answer session at the end of the "Crisis in Gaza" forum, the question was asked, "Why do America and Israel have this special relationship?" to which no compelling answer was given. The fundamental reason the United States and Israel are such close allies is because of shared values. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and the only country in that region of the world that doesn't persecute any of its citizens based on race, religion or gender. Like the United States, Israel provides its citizens a completely open forum to debate, discuss, and to vote without fear of punishment As we engage in debate on this campus, we must not be afraid to express these values and accord ourselves the same platform we provide those who seek to bring about our permanent silence.

Daniel Ledeen is a Sid Richardson College senior.

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