A conflict resolution symposium scheduled to take place at the Tel Hai Academic College in northern Israel on Wednesday is stirring strife before it even began, because of the identity of the scheduled speakers.
The symposium is slated to host members of the Parents Circle-Families Forum, a grassroots organization of bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost relatives to terrorism.
The invitation, however, did not sit well with about 100 bereaved families, members of the Choosing Life parents' forum.
"We have learned that Tel Hai College and the heads of the Multidisciplinary Studies Program invited terrorists' families to attend this symposium," the bereaved families wrote in a letter to college President Professor Yossi Mekori.
"We, who lost our children in terrorist attacks refuse to accept this act of disrespect to their [the victims'] memory and any comparison between these despicable animals and our children, who were murdered for being Jewish or Israelis," the letter said.
"The members of the Parents Circle are a delusional minority that supports the Palestinian narrative that always blames Israel. They do not represent the bereaved families in Israel."
The letter added that the Choosing Life forum includes bereaved families of all religions, races and genders.
"Our only concern is that our numbers do not grow and that there will be no new bereaved families in Israel. We urge you to cancel the conference with the terrorists' families, and ensure that the voice of the sane majority is heard by inviting us to attend it."
The right-wing Im Tirtzu organization also send an angry letter to Mekori, demanding he cancel the symposium.
"The Parents Circle-Families Forum includes terrorists' families and we believe it strives to delegitimize the State of Israel," the group said. "Inviting its representatives to the college humiliates and disparages students and bereaved families."
The Tel Hai Academic College issued a statement saying, "Students attending the conflict resolution course meet with representatives of the Parents Circle, hear about the organization and its objectives, and then analyze the challenges of bridging gaps and fostering dialogue in persistent conflicts.
"This annual meeting exposes the students to the intricate sensitivity of these types of meetings, their potential, and even the criticism voiced against holding them.
"We at Tel Hai understand the controversy and while we do not express a position in favor of or against the forum's activities, we are committed to the academic freedom of the lecturers and welcome the opportunity our students have to explore this issue.
"Our campus encourages dialogued between the different groups in Israeli society," the college stressed, adding that students taking the course who were not interested in attending the symposium were not obligated to do so.
