Tufts students reacted to Stephen Walt's Tuesday lecture during a discussion hosted by the Friends of Israel last night in Braker Hall.
Walt, a professor of international affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, argued that the Israel lobby negatively impacts U.S. interests abroad. His speech was prompted by his book, "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," which he co-authored with the University of Chicago's John Mearsheimer.
Much of last night's discussion focused on whether or not Walt's arguments can be categorized as anti-Semitic rhetoric.
"It seems to me that anyone who goes against this lobby is labeled an anti-Semite. This has basically been borne out by the reaction to the book," sophomore Louis Mittel said. "People have called Mearsheimer and Walt anti-Semites; I don't think this is true. You can't have [a] discussion without a party being called anti-Semitic."
Whether or not they support Walt's views, most students agreed that his arguments have initiated a discussion that is both productive and realistic.
"The entire time I was there last night, I was thinking that this is what the community needs right now," sophomore Elizabeth Herman said. "It's really important to still be critical of what's going on there. We can support Israel, but we need to be able to step back at times and examine its actions and policies."
Junior Lee Hofrichter agreed that this kind of controversial dialogue is necessary.
"One of the strongest points he has is that there isn't really open discourse in America about the good and bad things about Israel," he said. "Basically what he said is that we are blindly supporting Israel. You need proper discourse; you need discussion."
Many students commented on Walt's argument that U.S. foreign policy in Israel has harmed American security.
"I think what he's saying is that our current policy right now is not benefiting U.S. security interests, it's not benefiting Israeli security interests, so we shouldn't continue it," sophomore Laura Kaplan said. "Is there any room to be offended if it's just a political dialogue?"
Herman emphasized that the United States needs to focus on making its foreign policy beneficial to both countries.
"How is the foreign policy affecting America's security, and how is it affecting Israel's security?" Herman asked. "Because that's our goal, we want to help Israel. If we can detach the religious ties and look at it from a political standpoint, I think that's something that is really important to do."
Still, not all were as accepting of Walt's remarks. Freshman Edgar Luna expressed his opposition to Walt's arguments.
"There wasn't anything scholarly or objective about anything he said," according to Luna.
He believes that the Israel lobby is currently benefiting Israel as much as possible.
"I think we are already using this lobby to the greatest advantage," Luna said. "I disagree with him."
