• Christians United for Israel is “the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States.”

• StandWithUs is “dedicated to informing the public about Israel and to combating the extremism and anti-Semitism that often distorts the issues.”

• The David Project is “dedicated to educating and inspiring strong voices for Israel … ”

• Hasbara Fellowships “brings hundreds of students to Israel … (and) giving them the information and tools to return to their campuses as educators about Israel.”

• Israel on Campus Coalition “works to empower the network of national Israel supporters …”

• Project Interchange “seeks to advance understanding of Israel …”

Of the eight partners listed in the ad, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East is the only organization that is not overtly pro-Israel. However, I think an examination of their support indicates they too are in the pro-Israel camp.

There organizations truly are partners, because they are all on the same side of the issue. Those oddly Caucasian hands in the ad might be clasped in agreement, but apparently it is an agreement to cut Palestinians out of the discussion, rather than an agreement between voices for all the people involved in the issue. Granted, The State News might have no responsibility to review the ads it prints for such issues, but I felt something ought to be said about eight apparently pro-Israel organizations presenting themselves as representatives of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation.

As for the partners’ “call on the Palestinian government to end its association with Hamas,” I am not sure in what sense this is possible. It is my understanding Hamas came to power in the government through electoral consent. Anger builds within a group to the point that they seek to channel it into violence. Violence, though it is lamentable, will be an unfortunate consequence of democracy.

The United States’ Declaration of Independence provides example of this revolutionary rage, as sometimes, “it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.” I am not speaking in support of the violent tactics employed by parties on both sides of the conflict, and I do not claim to be the best informed about the facts at the heart of the conflict. However, I think it is disingenuous to represent Palestinian violence as endemic to Hamas as an organization separate from the Palestinian government and thus as something that Palestinians can simply step away from, rather than a reflection of frustrations held by the Palestinian people.

Kenny Barrese, graduate student