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Arizona State: Should Malay and Indonesian Troops be United Nations Peacekeepers?
by Alex Ginsburg
 The goal of the peacekeeping force is to maintain the cease-fire in the region by preventing Israeli operations in Lebanon and Hizballah attacks into Israel. As an operation that is not sent off with a particular political position, its goal should be to maintain as much impartiality as possible. While some might see Israel's objection to Malay or Indonesian troops as discriminatory, such troops, whose governments refuse to recognize Israel, do not appear impartial. (ASU Web Devil)
Arizona State: Can Diplomacy Become Denial?
by Hilary Wade
The last step taken in international relations is military action. It is understandable that no nation desires to take this route, and it would be especially difficult for the United States to do so while the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue. Yet, it is very easy in retrospect to see the signs of a troubled leader and nation. Those signs are palpable now and the evidence of a nuclear Iran as the greatest threat to world peace, Israel and the West is incontrovertible. At what point does diplomacy become denial? (ASU Web Devil)
Haifa: In Praise of War Pains
by Fania Oz-Falzberger
 The overwhelming majority of Israelis didn't go anywhere, neither geographically or mentally, but rather, chose to stay here for the summer. Overall, 60 percent of residents outside the missile range did something - donations, assistance, hosting - for the sake of residents under attack. The excellent medical system did its job and its employees, both Jewish and Arab, offered first aid and saved lives quietly, modestly and responsibly throughout the war. The public arena was loud and stormy and the myriad of voices found in a free, pluralistic society were being heard. The media got everyone mad and raised issues requiring incisive examination of the war and its results, in accordance with the basic mandate of liberal-democratic media. The writer is a history professor at Haifa University. (Ynet News)
Indiana: Israel: Behind the Headlines
by Dana Hopfer
 It is one of our greatest challenges as students, and as Americans, to read beyond the headlines and push through the propaganda-filled media that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Educating ourselves on a broad range of facts will help individuals formulate their own informed opinions amongst the cluttered media and ever-shifting situation in the Middle East. In order to understand America's support of Israel in its fight against terrorist organizations, we must examine the current crisis with a historical perspective and establish the endgame for each side in this conflict. (IDS News)
Yeshiva: The Art Of The Diplomatic Wedge
by Bryan Daves
 To achieve a sustainable solution, namely an end to this particular crisis, the U.S. should not depend on a resolution settlement whose prerequisite is consensus. Instead, American diplomats should try the “art of the wedge” to undermine the Syria-Iran alliance and divide Hizballah’s leadership from the Shia in Lebanon. The writer is assistant professor of political science at Yeshiva University. (New York Jewish Week)
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Georgetown: Keep Hoyas Abroad
- Editorial
 While the explosive conflict and  shaky ceasefire are certainly cause for concern among all, students should still be allowed to pursue independent study abroad programs without hindrance on the university’s part. Particularly at an institution that underlines its international involvement, the university must not sidestep volatile regions. Nor should it allow its students to shy away from difficult regions. The risks students assume by choosing to study abroad in volatile regions of the world are theirs to face. Students need to be able to take responsibility for their travel and understand that danger can and does exist in some places. (The Hoya)
Harvard: Feeling at Home in a War Zone
by Andrew Esensten
 The risk of an attack doesn't mean that we should stay away from Jerusalem or any other city on the terrorist hit list. Members of groups like Hizballah are truly cowards who gleefully sacrifice their own families and neighbors to induce fear in their enemies. However, the fear is often much greater than the actual risk. While waiting for my laundry at a self-service spot on French Hill near the campus of Hebrew University one afternoon last month, I read that scores of Jews who signed up for birthright trips this summer dropped out after the fighting started. I don't blame them, or their parents, for making the decision to stay home based on their fear. I'm sure many vowed to visit Israel at a "better time," but, sadly, there likely won't be a "better time" for many years. (Whittier Daily News)
Khatemi at Harvard
- Editorial
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, fresh from having established itself as a headwater of anti-Israel agitation, is choosing to mark the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in an astounding way - by hosting Mohammed Khatemi, a former president of Iran, an enemy state levying a terrorist war against America. Mr. Khatemi has been invited to speak on, of all things, "Ethics of Tolerance in the Age of Violence." The title insults the intelligence of all those who would attend. What in the world is a man who presided over the July 9, 1999, crackdown on Tehran University, where hundreds of students were arrested and tortured, doing speaking about "tolerance" at a university? (New York Sun)
Michigan State: Israel Learns History, Not U.S.
by Pete Nichols
 A concept the Israelis seem to have learned from the U.S. is that when fighting against a nebulous enemy like a terrorist organization, military victories are not the ones that win the war. Instead, these are wars won in the court of public opinion. One cannot destroy an idea with a rocket, and ideas are exactly what both the U.S. and Israel are fighting. Wars of insurgency are like quicksand: The more one struggles and fights, the deeper one gets. History has demonstrated this over and over again. The U.S. obviously hasn't learned from the past, but maybe Israel has. And if they have, maybe the past will finally remain the past. (State News)
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