Panelist Galit Shapira began the discussion, speaking about the differences of life in Israel, saying that she cannot have the ordinary life that she "should" have "because of Palestinian aggression towards Israel." She said that she never rides on buses or sits near the windows in restaurants and she always expects to be searched. Shapira finished by saying that "peace will come to Israel. It might take some time, but we'll have it someday."
Panelist Ariel Goldsmith said that he has made many great friendships in the army and that these bonds are "a thing I very much cherish." However, he went on to say that "the army is not a movie" and that he would have preferred never to have served in the West Bank. "[There is] nothing I hate more than confrontation with the Palestinian population," he said.
"Nobody enjoys being there. We were forced to be there," said Goldsmith referring to roadblocks and other unpleasant army duties.
During the question and answer session, the panel moved away from student life and instead to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Israel made a generous offer to Arafat ... [and] gave him a chance to be a hero," said Goldsmith, pointing out that Arafat did not respond.
Goldsmith said that the problem is not territory or ideology, but culture. He described the culture as "democracy versus violence and terror."
"We can't say anything about who should be a part of the Palestinian leadership, but they should reconsider because their current leadership jeopardizes their future," said Amit Yariv, who is a self-described as a secular Jew.
An audience member asked how a state like Israel that claims to be the only democracy in its region can occupy the land of another people. "Israel did not intend to occupy the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," said Yariv. "The government asked Jordan not to join in attacks against Israel, but King Hussein forced war." He also described Israel as the only country in the Middle East that allows critics of the government to stay in the country.
Towards the end, a member of the audience asked what the American Jewry could do to help Israel. "It is good at writing out checks," Goldsmith said, but he added that American Jews need to hold rallies and show Israel and the world that Israel is not alone.
After the presentation, students had a variety of reactions. Some felt that the Israeli students should have spoken less about Israeli governmental policy. "I wish that people would have asked the panel more about what it's like to be an Israeli student and about day-to-day activities," said Elise Chad '06.
Some students enjoyed the personal feeling of the panel. "Although I didn't learn a lot more beyond what the news reports say, it was moving to see a human face on the conflict. We hear 'suicide bombing kills 10,' yet this is only a statistic. The story comes to life when you have people telling you they won't ride buses anymore as a result of this daily slaughter," said Russell Kornblith '06.
The Amherst branch of the Student Alliance for Israel, although not yet recognized as a club, has received money from the College's discretionary funds. Leora Maccabee '05, founder of the Amherst branch, thought that the Alliance should involve the Amherst campus and its students more. The goals of the Alliance, according to Maccabee, are to "represent Israel on campus" by "raising awareness, fostering debate and bringing aspects of Israeli culture to campus."
There are 16 such groups all across the U.S. addressing what Yariv called the "future leadership of the United States."