On Tuesday, February 2nd at 8:30 PM, a large group of students from Stern, Yeshiva College, and other universities traipsed into Furst Hall 501 to hear Ambassadors David Roet and Danny Ayalon conduct a panel discussion regarding their perspectives on the relationship between Israel and the United Nations.
Ayalon and Roet entered amid the bustle, flanked by security guards. The two proceeded to take their seats at the front of the large room next to the moderator for the evening, Yaacov Sultan, co-president of the J. Dunner Political Science Society.
The event began with a short video clip featuring Ambassador Ayalon speaking about the hard truths regarding the constant resolutions passed against Israel in the UN. “My experience at the UN, was in one word, good,” said Ayalon after the video. “In two words—not good.” Roet concurred with the difficulty of being an Israeli diplomat at the UN. “I’ve been there for two-and-a-half years,” he said. “But the Israeli diplomats’ time at the UN should be counted in dog years.”
Pointed questions were continuously raised, and the ambassadors both took turns answering them in depth, with ease and humor. Both Ayalon and Roet mentioned that one of the biggest problems for Israel in the UN today is the issue of settlers. “When we bring up issues about terrorism, others will respond with the ‘issue of settlements’,” explained Roet. “That is always the focus, and it’s a priority for the mission to bring forth our own narrative.”
The ambassadors also took questions from the crowd regarding Israel advocacy on various college campuses. “There’s a rulebook for young, liberal ideology today,” explained Ayalon. “And being anti-Israel is one of the rules. But there is enough material to show them the truth.”
Yeshiva University is unique in that there is no issue of anti-Israel campaigning on our campuses. “The biggest issue that Jewish students on secular campuses have is the anti-Semitic or anti-Israel campaigns run by groups like SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine) and the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement,” said Corrine Malachi, board member of the Israel Club and president of Mishelanu, a club of Israeli-American students on campus. “At Yeshiva University we are so fortunate to be able to walk around campus, study, and be pro-Israel without these tensions and fears.”
Because that is the case, it is possible to feel that Israel advocacy on our campuses is not as crucial, and get frustrated. “I feel that the lack of anti-Israel issues on our campuses creates a lack of necessity to stand up or advocate for Israel,” explained Natasha Bassalian after the event. “It almost seems like there is no point.”
However, some students feel that the lack of conflict on our campuses makes it even more important to spread the truth about Israel. “I feel that students on secular campuses advocate and stand up for Israel even when it is not easy, but we often take it for granted that we do not have such issues, leading us to not do much at all,” asserted Malachi. “As much as students advocate for Israel in the face of adversity on secular campuses, how much more so should we advocate for Israel when we are not in such a hostile environment,” she continued.
The ambassadors ended by driving home the importance of working on our own narrative, of reading and learning about the situation as much as possible.
“Some people standing with you are future leaders of the world,” Ayalon said. “Young people need to tell other young people that there’s another side of the story. And there is no substitute to telling the truth—to confronting them with reality.”