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Cal Poly: For Added Airport Security, U.S. Should Take Pointers from Abroad
by Nathan Tsoi
 Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s underwear bomb failed to detonate properly on Christmas day, but the intended damage was done. American security could learn a valuable lesson on recognizing and
responding to changing terrorist strategies from the safest (and most
targeted) airline on earth: El Al, Israel’s national airline. There needs to be a complete shift from the current U.S. model of random
checks, run on one in every 10 passengers, according to Israeli
Security Chief Rafi Ron. A shift to the Israeli security strategy could
bring much improvement to the one-in-10 chance of catching a terrorist,
odds that Ron calls “unacceptable.” (Mustang Daily)
Harvard: Goldstone Cannot Possibly Believe His Report's Conclusions
by Alan M. Dershowitz
  In light of the
hard evidence, that is easily accessible online and in the media,
Goldstone cannot possibly believe that Hamas did not intentionally use
human shields, have their fighters deliberately dress in civilian
clothing and use mosques and hospitals to store rockets and other
weapons. Videotapes conclusively prove these charges, and Hamas
acknowledges - indeed boasts of - them. He cannot possibly believe that Israel used the thousands of
rockets that Hamas directed against its children as an excuse, or a
cover, for its real goal, namely to kill as many Palestinian civilians
as possible.
All the evidence points away from these wild charges. Yet he signed a
report asserting that those demonstrably false conclusions were true. The writer is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. (Hudson Institute New York)
North Alabama: Living a Normal Life in Abnormal Circumstances
by Lauren Abroms
 Over the break I received an opportunity to go to Israel for two weeks on a free trip. Of course while I was over there I experienced all of the normal "tourist" destinations but I also got to see a part of Israel many people will probably never get to see. After we toured the Gaza border crossing, my group went to a little town called Sderot. It was in the process of rebuilding itself and adapting to a new way of life. We went to a playground with bomb shelters incorporated into the playground's design. Most of the people in Sderot suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and deal with the threat of another missile attack everyday. They used the expression, "living a normal life in abnormal circumstances." In today's world of WMDs, recessions and terrorist attacks, everyone all over the world is trying to live a normal life in abnormal circumstances. (Flor-Ala)
Rutgers: Governments Must Provide for Their Own People First
by Lana Voskoboynik
 The government has a right and the duty to provide for its people. When
Haiti’s government could not do this, the world collectively sent aid
in the form of resources (i.e. supplies, medical staff) and money.
Similarly, the ruling body of Palestine must provide for its people.
Israel uses its money and resources to provide a higher quality of life
to its citizens. On the other hand, Palestine uses its resources to
create missiles to attack the people of Israel, turning a blind eye to
the needs of its own people. I have recently been to an Israeli town
on the border of Gaza and saw not only the missile fragments but also
the destroyed homes and the bomb shelters. (Daily Targum)
Yale: A Dangerous Double Standard
by Yishai Schwartz
 The assertion ["Our friend, detained"] that Israel censors its press is laughable. The vigorous Israeli press
has brought down presidents, prime ministers and generals and never
shies from passionately defending the rights of Palestinians or
criticizing Israeli authorities.
Suggesting that the immigration control issues faced by Jared Malsin
’07 were connected to his journalism wrongly assaults a country which
has gone to unprecedented lengths to protect liberty in the midst of
armed conflict. The record of the Malsin detention is clear. Malsin and his girlfriend
had been staying in Israel illegally and working on a tourist visa.
When questioned, Malsin lied to immigration officials and said he
intended to become an Israeli citizen. Malsin’s behavior would get him stopped by immigration in any country. (Yale Daily News)
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Cal State - Long Beach: Israeli PR May Be Key to Self-Preservation, Safety
by Gerry Wachovsky
 Michael Hirsh of Newsweek writes that Israel is “adept at war” but “fails at public
relations,” and notes, “To survive in the long run, Israel must get
better at fighting for itself on the ‘new battlefield’ of world
opinion.” My question is simple — how do you reconcile Israel’s “need” for PR
with a feeling that Israel is trying to shove its problems down
everyone’s throat? The sad truth is that when Ahmadinejad makes comments like “the
Holocaust never happened” or that “no gays live in Iran,” he makes
what should be viewed as a serious threat to Israel into something
ridiculous. Beside his asinine public statements, one has to remember that this
man is a world leader. So, when people write him off as a blowhard and
moron, they don’t realize the true power he has. This is dangerous.
On that front, I guess the argument about Israel needing more PR is legitimate. (Daily 49er)
Minnesota: Israel's Place in the World Community
by Samantha Bass
  Israel was among the first to arrive in Haiti, and it quickly set up a hospital on
an abandoned soccer field. Given the extremely small size of Israel and
the 6,500 miles separating it from Haiti, one cannot help but be amazed
by Israel’s contributions. Media sources covering the earthquake, such
as CNN, have responded to Israel’s actions in Haiti with shock and awe. Israel has a place in our global community. The technology and skills
demonstrated by the Israeli Defense Forces in Haiti were developed in
Israeli universities, institutions and by the military. As a Jewish student in the University of Minnesota community, I
am proud of Israel’s commitment to the Haitians during their time of
need. (Minnesota Daily)
Oregon: For Some, Hate Crimes Happen Every Day
by Dan Brotman
 Last spring term, the Arab Student Association allowed T-shirts
to be distributed at its screening of the film “Occupation 101.” The
T-shirts featured an Israeli flag with a swastika next to it marked
with a big red ‘X’, insinuating the annihilation of the State of Israel
and the Jewish peo ple. In order to further degrade Jews and Israelis, the T-shirt shirts read
“Stop the Zionist Nazis,” equating myself and fellow Jewish students
with those who annihilated half of our people during World
War II. I submitted an official complaint to the Bias Response Team, which is run by the same people who run the LGBTQA. It responded to my complaint that this does not break any clear rules, as it falls under “free speech.” As an openly gay, Jewish-Israeli man,
I find it outrageous that when I am threatened with the swastika as a
Jew and as an Israeli, “freedom of speech” is evoked and there is no
response from the campus community. However, it is only when my gay
identity is attacked that people suddenly use words such as “hate
crime” and “feeling unsafe.” I find it ironic that those who are put in charge of fighting bias
respond themselves in a very biased manner when the swastika is used to
target Jews and Israelis versus when it is used to target gays and
lesbians. (Daily Emerald)
Tulane: Fear in Israel
by Spencer Dorsey
 This past winter break I traveled to Israel with a group of 18 university students involved in their campus’ student media organizations with Project Interchange. While almost everyone knows about the Middle East conflict, I had no
idea that so much conflict existed within the Israeli society itself. After having seen the cruel reality of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, I realize it’s not my position to judge which group deserves
this holy state. I can only hope that both Israelis and Palestinians
coexist in the best way possible. (The Hullabaloo)
Yale: A Different Forum Needed for Goldstone
by Adam Yoffie and Noah Pollak
 In the name of free speech,
we welcome Justice Richard Goldstone to campus, but we do not think the prestigious Walker Lecture provides an appropriate forum for his visit. The Justice is now most
closely identified with his infamous investigation into the war Israel
fought against Hamas last year, published as the Goldstone Report. The
report is a product of the UN Human Rights Council, a body
that is used by some of the world’s worst human rights abusers to
deflect attention from their own authoritarianism and brutality. The report he produced is a
perversion of human rights and international law. It treats Hamas’
allegations with meticulous credulity, but Israeli claims with flippant
skepticism. It is riddled with factual errors and twisted accounts of
the war. (Yale Daily News)
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