By: Alexandra Cohen

As part of the Adam and Gila Milstein Coalition Building Initiative, George Washington University’s Israel advocacy organization, SAFI – Student Alliance for Israel, recently partnered with DC Meor and College Republicans to bring Jerusalem Post Military Correspondent and Defense Analyst, Yaakov Katz to campus.

This semester the group aimed to educate students about current events and prepare them to defend Israel to their peers who question Israel’s actions.  They brought Katz to GW so that he could share his expert knowledge on Shalit’s release, advances in the Arab Spring, and implications for Israel with a diverse community of current and future Israel supporters.

Just over one week after Shalit was released, Katz explained the history of prisoner swaps in Israel, highlighting that while Israel is willing to pay the price for one life, it recognizes that from previous swaps 60% of those released return to terror – a great risk for the Israeli civilian population.  He also discussed aspects of the Arab Spring and Islamic Winter, swift changes in leadership – especially following Qadaffi’s death, roles of social media, intelligence in Egypt, Iranian nuclear threat, and military and political challenges in the region.

Katz left the messages that Israel is extremely strong economically, socially, and militarily, even though its neighbors are in a state of tumult and revolution.  On the other hand, he addressed the rhetorical question “is the devil you know better than the devil you don’t know?” – the unprecedented military buildup in the region presents Israel with major challenges, risks, and opportunities.

Thirty five students and several community members attended the event, where they were engaged by Katz’s fair representation of facts.  One student asked whether his role as a reserve soldier impacted his journalism, to which he replied that “[he strives] for objectivity and struggles not to be used as a tool of the establishment”.  One key strength of Katz’s lecture is that he has had access to many influential leaders and first-hand accounts of facts on the ground.  His ability to maintain integrity in his publishing exemplifies Israelis’ efforts to portray situations accurately.

Other students engaged in discussion with Katz on many topics, including the emergence of Egypt as an ‘unknown’, as well as the ways in which the upcoming Presidential election in the US will affect Israel’s movement in the peace process.

Proud of the event, SAFI President and Hasbara Fellow Emily Seckel said “we brought Katz because of his knowledge and expertise about the conflict.  People really learned a lot and were able to have some of their own questions answered.”  Many of those in attendance came in knowing a lot about the history and implications of the conflict, but several newcomers walked away well informed and interested in participating in future programming.

SAFI plans to continue to develop relationships with members of the GW political community and hopes to educate a variety of student populations on the core issues in the Arab-Israeli conflict.