Avraham Burg, former speaker of the Israeli Knesset, gave a lively speech before a receptive crowd of about 60 at Hillel Wednesday evening, using humor and colorful analogies to argue for international involvement in ending the conflict in the Middle East.
"We live in a world without borders," Burg said, explaining that events outside Israel affect the country and events in Israel impact the rest of the world.
Burg said one of the world's priorities should be to solve problems in the Middle East and asked the newly reelected President George W. Bush to help with the effort.
"If you do not solve the Middle East conflict, forget about the rest of the world," he said.
Burg used his "falafel philosophy" analogy to explain his belief that Israeli Jews must be willing to compromise to achieve peace. He said that most Israelis want to fit three falafel balls on a pita that will hold only two. The three metaphorical falafel balls are keeping the greater land of Israel and the biblical Promised Land, maintaining the Jewish majority and sustaining a democratic state. Burg said the Israelis can only have two of those at the same time.
Burg is a member of the Labor Party who resigned from the Israeli Knesset in June. Known for his left-wing politics and tolerant attitude towards Palestinians, Burg has recently been delivering his speech, "Struggling Toward Peace in Times of Terror," at U.S. college campuses.
- Stu Woo
