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Are We for Free Expression and Dialogue or Intolerance and Violence?
(Sunday Express-UK) Amb. Tzipi Hotovely - Dialogue and critical thinking are the cornerstones on which universities were founded. In the Jewish tradition, open discussion is a fundamental value in which generations of Jewish scholars have been educated. It is clear that the crowds who gathered to shout outside the London School of Economics last week did not seek discourse. They sought to achieve their will by violent means and the suppression of alternative voices. I received dozens of messages of support, concern and apology from every political, social and ethnic group that makes up the fabric of British society. This support moved me greatly. People have realized that it's an issue of values: to be for free expression and dialogue or on the side of intolerance and violence. The support I received demonstrates there is a broad consensus in Britain that Israel is an important ally who shares common values. The writer is Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom.