GANDHI: Silencing a 'noble voice'
On Feb. 12th, 2008
I am outraged that Arun Gandhi's comments in the Washington Post forced his resignation from the non-violence center at the University of Rochester, even after his retraction of regrettable 
misstatements.
Gandhi is absolutely correct that the future remains bleak so long as powerful American Jewish organizations presume (and are permitted) to speak for American Jews in portraying Israel as a perennial victim, incapable of aggression. One cannot promote non-violence and at the same time ignore the massive human suffering that the Israeli government and its US sponsors have waged on Palestinians.
Those who label all opposition to these brutal policies as anti-Semitism intend simply to stifle debate and discussion. As a Jew, I deplore the vicious overreaction by the Democrat and Chronicle and Washington Post, the UR administration and faculty, and local and national Jewish organizations, in a rush to silence and discredit the noble, humble voice of Arun Gandhi.
Such orchestrated attacks are a disgraceful obstacle to open discourse and to peace.
DOUG NOBLE, ROCHESTER
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Louis Richards on February 13th, 2008
Certainly, no one could be more articulate than Doug Noble is on this issue. Would than more educated Americans believed the same...
Bryan on March 6th, 2008
The very fact that this article is still so passionately commented upon only begins to underscore it's tremendous importance. I am gald that this article is so important here because it is tremendously important worldwide. As City Newspaper accurately said, an opportunity has been lost. That is the true loss. That is the true trajedy. I do not approve in any way of the wording used by Mr. Gandhi used to express his views. Those words have only inflamed an already burning issue on which we desparatelyt need to tone down the rhetoric. However wrong those words were, they should never have resulted in his firing or resignation. Words have tremendous consequences, but the importance of the issues commented upon have a much greater consequence. The world is in need of the discussion begun by Arum, and without it much is lost. We have all lost an important leader in this movement upon which constructive dialogue could have flourished. The world could still be be constructively discussing and approaching the issues that were raised. Points of consensus and areas of agreement could have been reached. Instead, a tremendously important voice in the world peace movement has been silenced and this important dialogue has seems to have abruptly ended - at least for now.
Meanwhile, here (and elsewhere) people have again resorted to pointless name calling and finger pointing..
Most importantly I believe, the conflict rages on in the MIdeast and elsewhere. Nothing will ever change the fact that the Israeli/Palestine conflict is very much a two sided conflict about which the US media primarily reports only one side - the Israeli side. I have discussed this very issue with former Arab and Palestianian residents, and thay all state that US only gets the Israeli side of the (their) conflict. Many of these same individuals (accurately?) believe this is the fundamental source of worldwide entipathy to the US throughout the whole Arab world. US citizens need to begin to sincerely ask why we usually get only the Isreali side of this very two sided conflict story. Could it be the many millions of dollars flowing into both AIPAC and the ADL? While the Palestininians have no similar US lobbying machine actively working for them? I will let anyone reading this editorial personally look into the aforementioned Israeli organizations to make their own judgement on that question
Meanwhile, I will continue to work and hope for worldwide peace and I will also continue to hope against all hopes that this important dialogue started by Arun Gandhi does not die with his untimely and unfair departure in Rochester.