Today, much of the Dartmouth community -- 1,043 members, to be exact -- took a stand. Today, much of the Dartmouth community said that it believes in something beyond the Dartmouth campus, beyond concerns regarding social and extra-curricular life or the operating budget. Today, much of the Dartmouth community displayed its interest in events that are taking place over 5,000 miles away. Today, much of the Dartmouth community declared its commitment to Israel's battle against terrorism, a battle Israel shares with the United States, and to the promise of peace for all peoples in the Middle East.
This is a big deal.
Over the past few months, Israeli faculty members in European universities have been forced to take leaves of absence because of political pressure from anti-Israel colleagues, and Israel-divestment petitions have circulated, though unsuccessfully, at major European and American universities. Despite these troublesome developments, more than 1,000 Dartmouth community members have effectively stated that such policies and petitions are unacceptable. In the petition, printed as a full-page advertisement in today's paper, students, faculty and alumni voice their collective support for the Israeli population's right to security and for the possibility of peace in the Middle East.
There is a lot that the petition does not say. The petition does not promote any particular political action. It does not identify potential negotiating partners. It does not suggest potential borders, a timeline or even a timeframe for resolving the problems between Israel and the Palestinian people.
However, the petition does make important, relevant and deliberate statements. It encourages a strong U.S.-Israel relationship that benefits both nations. It promotes the rebuilding of the shattered dream of a peace plan that caters to both Israelis and Palestinians in guaranteeing security to both sides. It firmly declares that terrorism is not a legitimate form of political action. It identifies the U.S. and Israel's common pledges to democracy, freedom and peace.
Because the petition does not advocate a particular political course of action, it speaks to students, faculty and alumni from a wide range of political persuasions. Each person who signed the petition believes in the possibility of a peace in the Middle East that does not fatally compromise the state of Israel. Each person who deliberated over whether or not to sign the petition has participated in the dialogue as much as those who debate the topic in dorm room and dinner conversations or formal panels in Rocky or the Dickey Center and beyond. The fact that there are so many members of the Dartmouth community who signed their names to this petition demonstrates that the dream of peace lives, even if world leaders are unwilling to put peace plans on the table right now.
The 1,043 members of the Dartmouth community who have signed the petition thus far are people of varied interest groups and diverse backgrounds. The petition lists the names of Democrats and Republicans; fraternity brothers, sorority sisters and unaffiliated students; student athletes and artists; DOC members and mock-trial members; undergraduates, professors, Tuck students, library staff, Thayer students and medical students; Latino-American, Asian-American, African-American, Native-American and international students; students from a wide range of religious backgrounds; former Dartmouth president James Freedman and many more. These signatures represent a wide-range of experiences, beliefs and political outlooks. But they are united in their interest and compassion for Israel's future and for the future of the world.
Although Dartmouth College may be eight time zones away from Israel, the petition suggests that decisions made here affect the decisions made there and vice versa. For this reason, people made the effort to sign the petition. The petition signatories are taking a positive step in becoming members of the kind of global community that we should desire: one in which countries with the shared values of peace, freedom, and democracy look out for one another and work together to ensure the peace and security of both their citizens and their global neighbors.
Today, 1,043 members of the Dartmouth community signed their names to show their interest and support for Israel's security and their faith in the dream of peace in the Middle East. The turmoil in the Middle East is not just a problem that Middle Easterners -- be they Jews, Christians or Muslims -- should deal with alone. It's a small world we live in, and the petition speaks to the confidence and hope of peaceful coexistence. In this petition, we begin by voicing our solidarity with Israel's pursuits towards national security and peace with its neighbors.