Dialogue is winning on campuses

THIS ACADEMIC term has taken me across Great Britain, from Aberdeen and St Andrews to Exeter; from Belfast to Southampton and Cambridge. The embassy participated in over 50 academic events on 25 campuses, engaging with thousands of students in solo talks, debates, meetings with unions, as well as staff and various departments.

Unsurprisingly, I’ve met some radically different people, with divergent views. I’ve witnessed the work of dedicated students at JSocs and Israel societies, showcasing Israel’s achievements. I’ve seen attempts by anti-Israel societies to “no platform” us, and when that failed, to disrupt events by force.

Among our critics, there were a few unforgettable highlights, such as the Southampton “Israel is a rogue state” debate, where I pointed out that perceived Israeli actions considered problematic, were in fact also in use by the UK and the United States, only to be told that they too are considered by the audience to be “rogue”; or the student that recommended that “we Jews” return to Europe, where apparently we had all come from; or the Exeter debate on boycotting Israel, where I mentioned that Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas himself rejects a boycott, only to be told that “he doesn’t know what’s best”, or alternatively, he is being “coerced by Israel”.

Overall however, the experience of being on campus as an official Israeli representative was a tremendously positive one. Massive interest by students, coupled with knowledgeable, intelligent questions, made for some great dialogue, benefiting all who took part. No interruptions, no significant protests, common sense prevailing on the whole; a good example was the recent LSE debate where students voted overwhelmingly for a two-state solution, over a one-state concoction advocated by anti-Israel academics.

It seems to me that the minority of Israel-haters, those who reject dialogue and would not even sit in the same