Peace Forums on Campus Are Essential

By Michael I. Kotlikoff
President, Cornell University
The New York Times
March 31, 2025
 

"Cornell University recently hosted an event that any reputable P.R. firm would surely have advised against… 

“We chose to risk stirring the waters by… hosting Salam Fayyad, a former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority; Tzipi Livni, a former vice prime minister and foreign minister of Israel; and Daniel B. Shapiro, a former United States ambassador to Israel, in a discussion moderated by Ryan Crocker, a career diplomat…

"Was I surprised when the discussion was almost immediately interrupted by protest? Disappointed, yes, but not surprised… The news coverage displayed only the disruption, and ignored the rest...

"It’s not an easy time to lead a university in the United States, and resolutely upholding the right to free inquiry and expression doesn’t make it easier…

"But if we are to preserve our value and our meaning, we cannot let our caution overtake our purpose… Only by defending democratic values and norms and educating our students to carry them forward in all their complexity and challenge will we safeguard the future of our institutions — and our nation."

About Heart of a Nation

Empowering the next generation of American, Israeli, and Palestinian change-makers to embrace better, together.

אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.

نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.