"Israel in the Balance" gives alternate philosophy on Middle East conflict

Renowned speaker and U.S. foreign policy expert Dr. Yaron Brook presented a thought-provoking and passionate lecture on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the campus community on April 24, sparking a two-hour discussion about his controversial views.The lecture, titled "Israel in the Balance," was the first event of the newly formed Terrapin Objectivists organization, a club aimed at promoting the philosophy of Ayn Rand, a Russian-born writer who pioneered the theory of Objectivism as "a philosophy for living on Earth."

Dr. Brook is president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute and is a frequent guest on national TV and radio programs. Born and raised in Israel, he is often asked to provide expertise on matters related to current issues and events regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

During the 45-minute lecture, Dr. Brook expressed his opinion on whether Israel is a moral country that is worthy of the support of America. He argued against the "popular view" that Israel is the aggressor and Palestine is the victim in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The Palestinians are the villains," he said. "We should not feel sympathy for them at all."

Dr. Brook disputed the theory that Israel was conceived in "original sin" and said that if it weren't for the Jews, the land of Palestine would still be desolate and barren.

"We brought Western civilization to a hell hole in the middle of nowhere," he said. "The Arabs came to the land for the jobs that resulted from the hard work of the Jews. The whole argument about original sin is bogus and made up."

The current conflict, he said, stems from the early beginning of Israel and the fact that instead of celebrating the creation of a thriving civilized state, Arabs chose to resent and despise the Jews.

"They have responded with violence, that is how they deal with the existence of Israel," he said. "They're willing to blow themselves up and kill as many people as possible. the brutality is just shocking."

Dr. Brook also discussed the future of Israel, saying that the only way peace can be achieved in the Middle East is if Israel realizes it is in a war against Palestine and acts like it.

"In my view, the whole peace process is a sham, it is a form of self-destruction," he said. "Every time Israel negotiates with Palestine, it steps one step closer to suicide and being wiped off the face of the world."

This is a war in which there will only be one winner, and if Israel wants to win, then it needs to "beat them [Palestine] into a pulp," he said. Once the Arab world rejects its traditions and goes through a Westernization of its "messed up" culture, then there will be no peace, he added.

After the lecture, Dr. Brook fielded questions from an enthusiastic crowd of about 40 students and faculty. The two-hour question and answer period touched on issues ranging from the war in Iraq, the next presidential election, and Dr. Brook's thoughts on democracy, a system that he called "meaningless" because it is based on "the rule of the mob."

"I believe in something more important than democracy," he said. "I believe in individual freedom, I believe in people pursuing happiness in any way that they want and a government should only exist to protect that right."

Audience member Ronnie Brodsky, a freshman economics major, said she didn't exactly enjoy the lecture because she knew Dr. Brook would be following the Objectivist beliefs of his organization, but she did find it insightful.

"It was certainly a new point of view and he was going further than what most people will believe in or admit to," she said.

Dr. Brook said he travels around the country giving lectures at universities because there are a lot of different opinions regarding Israeli-Palestinian relations among both professors and students.

"I think there is a lot of confusing information out there," he said. "I want to present students with an alternative view.