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Brandeis: Young American Jews Are Not Detached from Israel
by Shmuel Rosner
 A study published last week in the United States challenges the prevailing assumption that American Jews have become alienated from Israel in recent years, and particularly the assumption that the younger generation is less attached to Israel than their parents' generation was at their age. The study released by the Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University maintains that there has been no decline, nor will there be one. "Jewish attachment to Israel has largely held steady for the period 1994-2007," the study says, adding that there are "strong reasons for rejecting the prevailing pessimism regarding the future relationship of American Jews to Israel." (Ha'aretz)
Duke: Middle East Vigil Unfairly Accused Israel
by Rachel Silverman
 On Feb. 21 the executive board of Duke Friends of Israel was invited to attend a vigil for peace in the Middle East. Having been under the understanding that this was meant as a call to end suffering on both sides, we were deeply disappointed when the event served as a platform to accuse Israel of genocide as well as by the overall one-sidedness of the event's focus. Another major point of worry was the lack of concern displayed for the Israeli victims of Gazan rocket attacks. Though the event was billed as protesting the suffering of all people, the Muslim Student Association seemed intent on only discussing the Gazan victims of the latest crisis with little reference to the terrorist attacks coming from Gaza or the Israelis who have suffered as a result. The writer is president of the Duke Friends of Israel. (Chronicle)
Rutgers: Israel Must Be Tough on Terrorists
by Eytan Morgenstern
 During the past week or two of escalation of the conflict in Gaza, many in the media and international community began to grumble about Israel's "disproportionate" response to "harmless" rockets being fired upon Sderot and Ashkelon. The cities being attacked lie in Israeli sovereign territory, making these attacks completely illegal. Israel is permitted under international law and required as the government of its people to respond effectively to these attacks and prevent them if necessary. The only realistic and moral answer of course is to wage an aggressive, offensive war against Hamas and its terrorist buddies who are not only attacking Israeli sovereign territory but also bringing the collateral damage that is an unavoidable consequence of Israeli response upon its own people. (Targum)
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Colorado State: Israel - the Main Ally against Terror
by Jeremy Sharpe
 No matter how much the simple facts of this current conflict are ignored or willfully obscured by journalists and those who are ill-informed in the West, Israel is fighting to stop the bombardment of its cities and protect its people from the invasion of terrorist networks. People must remember that this conflict is not a war of land, but a war motivated by the desire to destroy an entire race. (The Collegian)
Harvard: Israel's New Reality
by Shira Kaplan
 The death of Ronnie Yahia, a 47-year-old student at the Sapir College for Liberal Arts in Ashkelon and a father of four, was a bitter reminder of the threat Israel faces on its sixtieth anniversary. The lesson is now clear: Israel is no longer merely dealing with a localized Palestinian threat, seeking to plant bombs in the heart of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel is immersed in a larger battle against fundamentalist Islam, a movement that has always postured itself against Israel, but which today is actively engaged in an effort to destroy the Jewish State. Israel has acknowledged its need to withdraw from Arab territory, which they had occupied for security considerations. Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in August 2005 was fatal. With long range missiles, neither the residents of Sderot, not Ashkelon, nor my parents in Tel Aviv, can sleep peacefully at night. The writer served in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years before coming to Harvard. (Crimson)
See also Repairing the Silence by Sarah B. Joselow (Crimson)
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