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Brandeis: Can the University Create Peace in the Middle East?
by Daniel Estrin
 As scores of Middle Eastern Studies departments across the country navigate accusations of anti-Israel bias, Brandeis decided to do Middle Eastern Studies on its own terms, create a bubble of peaceful coexistence, and radiate its successes outward. Though no university spokesperson has ever declared such a sweeping vision, the recent boom in innovative academic programs, partnerships and recruitments testifies to Brandeis effort. By bringing Arab administrators, scholars and students to campus, the university is making a statement to the Jewish community and to academia: Middle East peace, it seems to be saying, starts here. (New Voices)
UConn: Studying Abroad, Safe or Not
by Jane Gordon
 Precarious or not, Israel is high on the list of spring 2007 study-abroad options for Nathan Kamens, a sophomore pre-med major at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Mr. Kamens said he isn't worried about suicide bombers, or anything else. Mr. Kamens's attitude has been embraced by an increasing number of students attending colleges in Connecticut who choose to study abroad in any of the 26 countries on the State Department's travel warning list. (New York Times)
Georgetown: SFS-Q Must Remain Aware of Qatari Ties
by Ariella Holland
 Qatar, the home of Georgetown’s newest campus, [announced it would] join with Iran in funding Hamas. I pray that Georgetown's presence in Qatar will be a positive influence on Doha and the region, and that the graduates of the School of Foreign Service-Q will one day lead Qatar and its neighboring states to peaceful relations with Israel, the country I've begun calling home. Hopefully, they will learn that diplomacy is far better than terror so that swords will be exchanged for plowshares. The author is a junior currently studying abroad at Ben-Gurion University. (Hoya)
Penn State: Art Exhibit Cancellation: Lack of Transparency Surrounds Issue
 It seems the saga of the cancellation of Josh Stulman's art exhibit just gets more and more confusing as the days go by. Stulman's art exhibit "Portraits of Terror" was canceled because it did not promote "cultural diversity" or opportunities for democratic dialogue" and was sponsored by an "interest group." While the university has now agreed to allow Stulman to show his exhibit, it should not have been canceled in the first place. (Collegian)
Southern California: Don't Believe Everything Speakers Say
by Rachel Williams
 Presenting Iran as an open-minded and ultra-modern nation, Iranian journalist, Omid Memarian said "Iran has no problem with Israel" and that Iran has "a long history of positive relations with Israel." The truth is, however, that these statements are simply false. Despite Memarian's grave error in speech, the majority of the students at the event were nodding in agreement, seemingly in total acceptance of the man's words. This is easy to understand, as the words of an accomplished and respected journalist and human rights activist seem honorable on the surface. Unfortunately, this is the danger of listening to the spoken information of general guest speakers. (Daily Trojan)
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Columbia: A Footnote's Footnote
by Samuel G. Freedman
 Walt and Mearsheimer had conveniently ignored the entire point of my op-ed column, which is that American Jews have no more reason to apologize for their lobbying than do any other racial or ethnic groups pushing for key issues - Mexican-Americans for an amnesty for illegal immigrants, African-Americans for sanctions against South Africa during the apartheid era, Cuban-Americans for a continuing embargo against the Castro regime, and so forth. The writer is a professor of journalism at Columbia University.(Jerusalem Post)
Drexel: Hamas' Terrorism Hinders Peaceful Negotiation with Israel
by Vivek Thuppil
 Following this most recent suicide bombing, the State Department should waste no time in listing the Palestinian Authority as a state sponsor of terrorism, as they have clearly shown themselves to be through their jubilant support of Islamic Jihad, the group that carried out this particular attack. The United States and the European Union have rightfully withheld all aid to the Hamas government pending a complete renunciation of violence and terrorism on the part of the Palestinians. (Triangle)
Indiana: Schooled in Hate
by Amanda Dorman
 So while yes, institutionalized discrimination against Jews is a thing of the past, anti-Semitism continues to be a problem on college campuses. And it is only getting worse. To be sure, on April 4, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reported that campuses have a "serious problem" with anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment. (IDS News)
San Jose State: Holocaust Deniers Don't Only Hurt Jews, They Hurt Us All
by Erin Caballero
 Many within my adopted Islamic religious community deny that the Holocaust even happened, that it was all a hoax. Holocaust denial, also known as Holocaust "revisionism," tries to present the viewpoint that the Jewish community falsified the event and/or greatly exaggerated the casualties of it to gain sympathy and support for the statehood of Israel, along with the "Zionist agenda." The Palestinian political group Hamas is one of the main voices in the Islamic world espousing this viewpoint, releasing an official statement in 2000 stating that the Holocaust was "an alleged and invented story with no basis." (Spartan Daily)
Wash. in St. Louis: Hamas Charter Renounces Peaceful Solutions
by Jeremy Kazzaz
 Stating that Hamas is not a terrorist organization is like calling Osama Bin Laden a humanitarian. Joseph McCarter asserts that "only a few governments in the world" consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization; those governments include that of the United States and every country in the European Union. In fact, in its charter, Hamas not only proclaims terrorism to be a legitimate act of political expression, but also calls for the annihilation of Israel. (Student Life)
See also The West Is Radicalizing Hamas by Zachary Steinert-Threlkeld (Student Life)
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