This piece was featured in the Columbia Spectator on Tuesday, September 27, 2011.  It was written by Jonathan Huberman, LionPAC Director of Public Relations.

Despite the seeming intransigence of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, two ingredients, compassion and cooperation, have the potential to bring peace. At the United Nations this past week though, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas showed little interest in compassion or cooperation. In the Middle East and here at Columbia, these two values have been greatly lacking.

Peace requires compassion for your counterpart and a willingness to cooperate. In this regard, Palestinians and Israelis need to recognize the legitimacy of each other’s national narratives. After accepting that each group deserves its own country, Palestinians and Israelis need to work together to create a framework for the two societies to live together side by side.

Abbas’s gambit at the U.N. has delayed the prospects of peace by sidestepping this necessary cooperation, adding an unsurprising yet disappointing chapter to his history of circumventing negotiations. In 2010, Israel halted all construction in the West Bank for 10 months, yet still Abbas refused to come to the table. Since 2000, two Israeli prime ministers have offered to relinquish over 90 percent of the West Bank in exchange for peace. These actions show Israel’s enthusiasm for coexistence, and it is time for Palestinian leaders to show a similar eagerness. Instead of making excuses and demanding preconditions for negotiations, Abbas should show the perseverance and persistence that are necessary for talks to succeed.

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This piece was featured in the Columbia Spectator on Tuesday, September 20, 2011.  It was written by the Columbia Spectator Editorial Board (Samuel E. Roth recused himself from the writing of this editorial because he previously served on CIRCA’s executive board).  It was not written by a LionPAC member.

Columbia International Relations Council and Association’s plan to dine with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this Wednesday has raised a few eyebrows on campus and in national and international media. Given the implications of dining with a man accused of gross human rights violations, political repression, and hostility toward the United States, we urge CIRCA to reconsider its decision to participate.

Numerous media outlets­—American and Iranian alike—have inaccurately equated CIRCA’s acceptance of the invitation as from the University as a whole. National news outlets have demonstrated no more commitment to honest reporting than Iran’s, and we hope that the international community understands that CIRCA’s actions do not represent the University’s views as a whole. Fox News inaccurately claimed that President Bollinger was attending the dinner, a statement it later corrected.

While we uphold Columbia’s commitment to free speech, open dialogue, and freedom of association, CIRCA’s attendance at the dinner surpasses the bounds of responsible group behavior. We don’t doubt that the students involved in the dinner identify an opportunity to engage a world leader in a sincere gesture of diplomacy, but to do so with a leader like Ahmadinejad is not constructive.

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New York, NY - On Tuesday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, issued the following statement following reports that Columbia University President Lee Bollinger has arranged to attend a private dinner for Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with Columbia students.

UANI calls on Columbia University’s President Lee Bollinger to cancel this “dinner with Ahmadinejad” immediately. It is highly inappropriate for the leader of a prestigious U.S. University to meet with the head of a regime that is defying the international community by pursuing nuclear weapons, ruthlessly violating the human rights of its people, and sponsoring al-Qaeda and other terrorists. Would Mr. Bollinger attend an event with the leaders of al-Qaeda?

Four years ago, Bollinger hosted Ahmadinejad under the guise of “dialogue,” and Columbia was widely criticized for that irresponsible decision, particularly given the offensive theories and remarks Ahmadinejad stated that day. To repeat the same mistake this year would be a serious affront to New York City and America.

This is not a matter of dialogue or free speech, but of judgment. Providing Ahmadinejad with a forum to spread his vile and conspiratorial views regarding 9/11 and the Holocaust, among others matters, gives him the very platform and legitimacy he seeks, and will once again significantly harm Columbia University’s reputation.

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