To the Editor:
In the lively and often confusing campus discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Brown Students for Israel feels that its values and identity have frequently been misrepresented, and it would like to take this opportunity to clarify its purpose on campus.
Brown Students for Israel is an educational organization that recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state alongside an independent Palestinian state established through direct negotiations. BSI’s aim is to educate its members and the Brown community about Israel and the Middle East through guest lectures, expert-moderated discussions and weekly meetings. BSI is not associated with any external organization — it is not guided by a political group on Capitol Hill, but rather focuses distinctly on College Hill. Events and meetings are open to all students on campus.
BSI tries to give voice to a variety of perspectives through its programming. The newly launched “Israel Inbox” service allows members of the Brown community to sign up for regional news updates assembled from sources including Haaretz, the Jerusalem Post, Al Jazeera and the Times of Israel. BSI has made efforts to challenge our own understandings of various issues by hosting speakers including an environmental scientist, a historian, a congressman and a journalist, among others.
BSI is not an organization dedicated to promoting one narrative. It does not belong to students on the right or the left, nor to those who either unquestioningly support or attack every Israeli policy. Instead, BSI is a group maintained by pro-Israel and pro-two-state-solution students who are dedicated to learning about and promoting a balanced picture of Israel and the Middle East. In this way, Brown Students for Israel is not simply “for Israel.” It is for anyone who wants to support learning about Israel, discussing Israel, critiquing Israel and understanding Israel.
Brown Students for Israel
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