Last week, Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor and human rights activist, came to campus to discuss her views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The event was disappointing. The forum did not give context to the criticism made against Israel, and the presentation was misleading. Every person who wanted to give context to Epstein's presentation had to choose between preventing a gross misrepresentation of the conflict and compromising the dignity of a Holocaust survivor. Because of this, I want to give some context to three major claims presented by Epstein in the forum. Epstein spoke about her experiences seeing the security fence, the checkpoints and the Palestinian suffering in the disputed territories. She did not address the fact that Israel captured the West Bank, Golan Heights and Gaza Strip in a defensive war in 1967. Israel tried to exchange land for peace after the war, but the Syrians and Jordanians rejected the overture. Now Israel controls this territory and has to figure out how to address terrorism. After 1967, it is true that the Israeli government encouraged Jewish settlement of the disputed territories. The Oslo Accords in 1993 almost secured peace by returning over 90 percent of the disputed territories to Palestinians; however, Yasser Arafat undermined the peace talks, thereby committing a serious crime against the Palestinian people.

Israel is currently engaging in peace talks. The checkpoints obviously make Palestinian life very difficult. And some of them are poorly positioned, which needs to be addressed. But checkpoints address Israel's security threats, and Israel is not the only country that uses checkpoints for that purpose. Although checkpoints are ugly and inconvenient anywhere, there is never an easy answer to security threats.

In response to being asked how Israel should respond to Hamas firing rockets at the Israeli city of Sderot, Epstein implied a moral equivalence between Hamas rocket fire and the Israeli response. Every reasonable form of jurisprudence differentiates between intentionally targeting civilians in a terrorist attack and inadvertently killing civilians while targeting terrorists who are using civilians as human shields. Terrorist attacks against Israelis have included targeting and murdering individuals in a nursery school, a Passover Seder in Netanya, a discotheque for teenagers, a Hebrew University cafeteria and a passenger terminal in Lod Airport. Israel targets Hamas operatives who hide among civilians. I'm not justifying the killing the civilians; rather, I'm asking you to put yourself in the position of a government whose populace faces indiscriminate rocket fire. How would you respond?

When asked what steps should be taken to remedy the overall situation between the Israelis and Palestianians, Epstein encouraged divestment from Israel. Yes, there is tremendous Palestinian suffering in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. I hope it need not be stated that Palestinian suffering in the territories is far from Israel's fault alone. But divesting from Israel is absurd. Israel's actions are in response to security concerns-this doesn't make Israel a terrible violator of human rights. Should we divest from China and not allow Chinese students, teachers, filmmakers or athletes come to the University because of the way the Chinese government deals with capital punishment, torture and its relationship with Tibet? Isolating Israel with divestment is an example of the double standard applied to Israel.

Epstein may have failed to give context to the conflict, but she did highlight Palestinian suffering, which needs to be addressed. People who have concerns about Israel's security should not neglect to recognize Palestinian suffering. Likewise, people with concerns about Palestinian suffering should not neglect to recognize the importance of Israel's security. The groups active in advocacy pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should engage in more productive efforts-at least sometimes. For example, they should consider fundraising for the Save a Child's Heart Organization, an Israeli-based charity that provides medical care for children in developing countries. Many of the children who receive care are from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This organization helps those is need and contributes to a culture of peace.

Groups obviously have the right to bring in speakers who present their narratives. I challenge those who are forming their views about the conflict to investigate both sides of the narrative before engaging in any serious activism. It is possible to balance concerns about Israel's security with those about Palestinian suffering. Putting all the blame on Israel is irresponsible and unproductive.