Imagine a situation in which a prestigious academic institution opens its doors to a convicted terrorist. Imagine him walking proudly up onto the stage that has been set aside just for him. He sips from a cup of water, clears his throat, and launches into a speech in front of a group of students and intellectuals. And then, ponder that moment when imagination fades to reality. How frightening is that moment? That almost happened. Mohammed Kenaana, the director of the Sons of the Village movement, who was convicted of abetting Hezbollah activities and sentenced to 30 months in jail, was invited to deliver a lecture at a Land Day conference at Tel Aviv University. For several days before that, Likud-Beytenu, Habayit Hayehudi and Yesh Atid had organized a media protest. On Sunday, they held a demonstration. Throughout the parties' protests, the university said it would allow Kenaana's lecture in the spirit of freedom of speech. Only on Sunday evening did it announce that although Land Day events would still commence, Kenaana was probably not going to be present. Their official reason: "In light of the concern of a threat to public order, and since the request for approving Kenaana's explicit participation was only submitted recently without sufficient time to organize, the university does not permit his participation at the event." It's odd that the university insisted the request was submitted only "recently," because the protests had already begun a week ago. This may have been the university's mini-excuse. It did not predict the event would generate such media buzz. Mostly, a sense prevails that the university lost its direction. Pluralism and freedom of expression form the foundations of academia, but if the Left decided it was theirs for the taking, then they did it pretty dismally at Tel Aviv University. As a student at the university, I can plainly see that the right wing on campus has been silenced, and no less. Only when something big happens, such as a convicted terrorist's lecture, do these students get to have their voices heard. We should remind academics that when the issue is a discussion of terrorism, then free speech becomes devoid of meaning, because, at its core, terrorism itself rejects that principle. Terrorism does not represent legitimate opinions, but violence that has no place in society. I truly want to believe that the leftist cells claiming that the protest against Kenaana's lecture silences free speech constitute the most radical fringes of the political map, because that is terrorism's only place. Terror certainly does not deserve a central forum or a kosher stamp from prestigious institutions such as Tel Aviv University. It is not every day that I elect to align with the right wing. Most of the time I'm proud to call myself a leftist. But today is not that day. Today, the Left supported a convicted terrorist's lecture. It's impossible to reconcile inviting a terrorist to come speak to students, and wailing about the wasted peace process. The two clearly contradict each other -- where there's violence, there's no discussion. And the shame for the event doesn't just belong to the organizers and their proponents, but to all those who stood idly by as well. Indeed, silence amounts to consent to terrorism.
