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The Vital Role of Dialogue on Campus: A Jewish Student Reflects on Recent Events
University of Exeter. Photo: Wikipedia.
Nearly 13 months after October 7, 2023, and amid the ongoing Gaza war, I find myself increasingly concerned about the lack of open discourse, particularly among those who identify as anti-Zionist on our campuses.
Many of the people who oppose Israel’s existence simply don’t know or understand the history, and there is an urgent need for constructive conversation on campus and elsewhere.
One such incident occurred at the University of Exeter on February 7, 2023, notably before the events of October 7th, where Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli activist and a foremost advocate for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, was chased off campus with chants of “We don’t listen to racists” and “Apartheid off campus.”
This event has stuck with me in its utmost significance, since Haddad provides a nuanced and much-needed perspective, discrediting the accusation of Israeli apartheid and racism — since all citizens under Israeli law are treated equally, and all residents of Israel have a right to human dignity and freedom regardless of their religion or ethnicity.
The protesters ignored this and failed to engage in what could have been a thought-provoking and informative session, showing a lack of interest in reflecting on their preconceived beliefs about how “evil” Israel is perceived to be.
Following October 7th, university societies such as Friends of Palestine or Students for Justice of Palestine have continuously campaigned for a boycott of any university collaboration with Tel Aviv University, as seen in my own university — the University of Exeter.
Not only is the notion of boycotting Israel antisemitic –– demonizing and singling out Israel and its citizens among all other nations — but is also based in falsehoods. After engaging in my own dialogue with the university, I found that no such partnership between the school and Israel exists, only further highlighting a troubling trend — the commitment to blind protest over informed discussion.
One cannot overstate the importance of dialogue, especially in our universities — places that are supposed to be safe havens of further learning, where different viewpoints are not only heard but listened to and engaged with. This refusal fosters a hostile environment of division and an abundance of echo chambers, where assumptions thrive, leading to an increased polarized campus atmosphere, alienation of potential allies, and complete avoidance of meaningful discussion.
Further, this lack of open conversation on university campuses poses a larger threat for wider society, with overly simplified labels of “colonizers” or “apartheid supporters” being thrown around carelessly. Words like genocide have become intertwined in people’s daily vocabularies, without fact-checking and openly engaging in the debate, again: commitment to protest over discussion.
My own frustrations with this closed conversation has only fueled my passion for Zionism, a perspective I feel compelled to advocate for amid this hostile and inaccurate climate. Protests full of lies, calling us “spies” and “baby killers“ is something that we cannot tolerate.
Speakers and activists such Adiel Cohen are the advocates we need. People like this help work for peace and resolution, routinely refuting antisemitism and debunking anti-Israel propaganda, rather than stoking conflict and division. Cohen is a powerful example of how conversation can lead to change and understanding.
Our goals are reminiscent of each other: peace and the ability to live and exist in our shared land, and it’s only through debate and discussion that these ideas are realized.
The complexities of the Israel-Gaza conflict must lead to us prioritizing conversation and dialogue. We need to create spaces to hear our voices and room for civic discussion — and foster the environments needed to conduct real change.
Molly Phillips is a 19-year old Jewish student at the University of Exeter, and a CAMERA on Campus Fellow.
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Iran, US Task Experts to Design Framework for a Nuclear Deal, Tehran Says
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Iran and the United States agreed on Saturday to task experts to start drawing up a framework for a potential nuclear deal, Iran’s foreign minister said, after a second round of talks following President Donald Trump’s threat of military action.
At their second indirect meeting in a week, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi negotiated for almost four hours in Rome with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, through an Omani official who shuttled messages between them.
Trump, who abandoned a 2015 nuclear pact between Tehran and world powers during his first term in 2018, has threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly that would prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, says it is willing to discuss limited curbs to its atomic work in return for lifting international sanctions.
Speaking on state TV after the talks, Araqchi described them as useful and conducted in a constructive atmosphere.
“We were able to make some progress on a number of principles and goals, and ultimately reached a better understanding,” he said.
“It was agreed that negotiations will continue and move into the next phase, in which expert-level meetings will begin on Wednesday in Oman. The experts will have the opportunity to start designing a framework for an agreement.”
The top negotiators would meet again in Oman next Saturday to “review the experts’ work and assess how closely it aligns with the principles of a potential agreement,” he added.
Echoing cautious comments last week from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he added: “We cannot say for certain that we are optimistic. We are acting very cautiously. There is no reason either to be overly pessimistic.”
There was no immediate comment from the US side following the talks. Trump told reporters on Friday: “I’m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.”
Washington’s ally Israel, which opposed the 2015 agreement with Iran that Trump abandoned in 2018, has not ruled out an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming months, according to an Israeli official and two other people familiar with the matter.
Since 2019, Iran has breached and far surpassed the 2015 deal’s limits on its uranium enrichment, producing stocks far above what the West says is necessary for a civilian energy program.
A senior Iranian official, who described Iran’s negotiating position on condition of anonymity on Friday, listed its red lines as never agreeing to dismantle its uranium enriching centrifuges, halt enrichment altogether or reduce its enriched uranium stockpile below levels agreed in the 2015 deal.
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Hamas Says Fate of US-Israeli Hostage Unknown After Guard Killed in Israel Strike
Varda Ben Baruch, the grandmother of Edan Alexander, 19, an Israeli army volunteer kidnapped by Hamas, attends a special Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony with families of other hostages, in Herzliya, Israel October 27, 2023 REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki
Hamas said on Saturday the fate of an Israeli dual national soldier believed to be the last US citizen held alive in Gaza was unknown, after the body of one of the guards who had been holding him was found killed by an Israeli strike.
A month after Israel abandoned the ceasefire with the resumption of intensive strikes across the breadth of Gaza, Israel was intensifying its attacks.
President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said in March that freeing Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old New Jersey native who was serving in the Israeli army when he was captured during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks that precipitated the war, was a “top priority.” His release was at the center of talks held between Hamas leaders and US negotiator Adam Boehler last month.
Hamas had said on Tuesday that it had lost contact with the militants holding Alexander after their location was hit in an Israeli attack. On Saturday it said the body of one of the guards had been recovered.
“The fate of the prisoner and the rest of the captors remains unknown,” said Hamas armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades’ spokesperson Abu Ubaida.
“We are trying to protect all the hostages and preserve their lives … but their lives are in danger because of the criminal bombings by the enemy’s army,” Abu Ubaida said.
The Israeli military did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Hamas released 38 hostages under the ceasefire that began on January 19. Fifty-nine are still believed to be held in Gaza, fewer than half of them still alive.
Israel put Gaza under a total blockade in March and restarted its assault on March 18 after talks failed to extend the ceasefire. Hamas says it will free remaining hostages only under an agreement that permanently ends the war; Israel says it will agree only to a temporary pause.
On Friday, the Israeli military said it hit about 40 targets across the enclave over the past day. The military on Saturday announced that a 35-year-old soldier had died in combat in Gaza.
NETANYAHU STATEMENT
Late on Thursday Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’ Gaza chief, said the movement was willing to swap all remaining 59 hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel in return for an end to the war and reconstruction of Gaza.
He dismissed an Israeli offer, which includes a demand that Hamas lay down its arms, as imposing “impossible conditions.”
Israel has not responded formally to Al-Hayya’s comments, but ministers have said repeatedly that Hamas must be disarmed completely and can play no role in the future governance of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to give a statement later on Saturday.
Hamas on Saturday also released an undated and edited video of Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot. Hamas has released several videos over the course of the war of hostages begging to be released. Israeli officials have dismissed past videos as propaganda.
After the video was released, Bohbot’s family said in a statement that they were “deeply shocked and devastated,” and expressed concern for his mental and physical condition.
“How much longer will he be expected to wait and ‘stay strong’?” the family asked, urging for all of the 59 hostages who are still held in Gaza to be brought home.
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Oman’s Sultan to Meet Putin in Moscow After Iran-US Talks
FILE PHOTO: Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said gives a speech after being sworn in before the royal family council in Muscat, Oman January 11, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani/File Photo
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said is set to visit Moscow on Monday, days after the start of a round of Muscat-mediated nuclear talks between the US and Iran.
The sultan will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the Kremlin said.
Iran and the US started a new round of nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday to resolve their decades-long standoff over Tehran’s atomic aims, under the shadow of President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash military action if diplomacy fails.
Ahead of Saturday’s talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Following the meeting, Lavrov said Russia was “ready to assist, mediate and play any role that will be beneficial to Iran and the USA.”
Moscow has played a role in Iran’s nuclear negotiations in the past as a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member and signatory to an earlier deal that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
The sultan’s meetings in Moscow visit will focus on cooperation on regional and global issues, the Omani state news agency and the Kremlin said, without providing further detail.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss trade and economic ties, the Kremlin added.
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