|
Trending Topics
|
Protesters Silencing Speakers Like Me Won't Solve the Israeli-Palestinian Problem
(Guardian-UK) Ami Ayalon - I came to the UK two weeks ago, at the invitation of the British Jewish organization Yachad, to present my ideas for how Israel and Palestinian people might create a step-change that may bring about the forging of a political agreement. At King's College London, where I was speaking at an event jointly hosted by the KCL and LSE Israel societies along with Yachad, I was met with violence. A window was smashed, students were pushed and the event was cut short due to the disruption. It is the slogan of the protesters that bothered me most: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Their chant means an end to a State of Israel, which also exists between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. This is an extremist position and not shared by the majority of Palestinians or Israelis, nor the international community, which is committed to a two-state solution. Gen. Ami Ayalon is a former head of the Israel Security Agency and Commander of the Israel Navy.