To the Editor:

Re: “After Gaza Protests, Groups Attempt Dialogue,” News, Sept. 29

The renewed attempt at dialogue between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups on campus as presented in this article seems ill-conceived. Mandy Kain ’10, president of United for Peace and Justice in Palestine, claims to commit her organization to “presenting an objective viewpoint.” Operating from within a partisan organization, her goal is unattainable and misleading. The president of the Cornell Israel Public Affairs Committee makes similar claims. By claiming to be objective, each side is claiming that their viewpoint is the objective truth. Such a premise does not conduce dialogue. Perhaps in the case of such a heated debate, when emotions on each side run so high, it is more accurate to say, “After Gaza Protests, Groups Attempt to Raise Level (or Civility) of Debate.”

Perry Swergold ’13