What do you want? Clarity is critical.
There are many messages in the Campus protests; which is yours? Divestiture, Ceasefire, rebuilding Gaza, developing a Palestinian State, or something else? What about peace?
The message of peace and the coexistence of two peoples will carry the day.
Without articulating what you stand for and what you do not, you are lumped into the “everything” category, which includes antisemitism and the elimination of Israel.
Israel is here to stay. That is an indisputable fact. If you refuse to accept this reality, you essentially oppose a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine issue. The region’s people must find a way to live together, for neither is going away.
Building trust and a willingness to accept the other’s presence and narrative must occur on both sides for Palestinians and Israelis. This will take time and effort- lots of each.
This pragmatic politics is problematic for idealogues to embrace. But if peace is the end goal, the ability to live in relative safety and security, this realpolitik must dominate the day. Otherwise, the people will continue to suffer and die. And our tradition says, choose life.
Don’t Squander the moment. The campuses have our attention. They can be places where truth is spoken to power, not merely a place to advocate reductionist ideologies, where critical moral issues are advanced, recognizing the dignity of all people in the region. Seize the moment.
