By By Erin Kelly, News Staff

A hopeful line of eager students who arrived a little too late formed outside the closed doors of the packed ballroom in Curry Student Center, and inside, a slow clap ensued. Students who left to grab a quick bite to eat or run to the bathroom with plans to return had to get a pink ‘X’ marked on their hands to ensure re-admittance.
This was the scene Tuesday evening prior to the arrival of Noam Chomsky, an American linguist, philosopher and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) known for his work in cognitive psychology. Introduced by Lucas Britt of the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) as one of the ‘fathers of modern linguistics,’ Chomsky spoke to a crowded ballroom about the history and current events occurring throughout the Middle East, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The problems in Gaza are part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a continuing dispute between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people dating back to the early 20th century.
According to media reports, war crimes currently account for much of civilian death, which makes up half of the total death toll. Palestinian groups have killed about 1,100 Israelis and Israeli forces have killed about 5,500 Palestinians since September 2000, according to media reports.
Chomsky addressed the rewards peace would bring to the Middle East, like how moderates would be rescued from Iraq, and he mentioned the tectonic shift occurring since Iran has created an unprecedented willingness for modern Arab nations to work with Israel. He also said that a way for Israel to stop rockets peacefully would be to formally accept earlier cease-fires, or stop their criminal actions in occupied territory.
Among a wide array of different points of interest, Chomsky told students that they are capable of helping the situation in Gaza by informing others about the crisis.
‘The country is in desperate need of an educational process that will suppress decades of lying and deceit and turn what has happened into a learning experience,’ Chomsky said.
Chomsky emphasized launching an educational campaign throughout the country to bring the rest of the world in line with the American viewpoint.
‘ ‘Right now everyone but the US and Israel accepts and is calling for a crusade settlement on an international border,’ Chomsky said. ‘We have the power to make decisions that will effectively settle the problem.’
Chomsky reminded students that while a large majority of students already favor peace for the Middle East, they are not enough of an active political force.
Creating this active political force might be hard, but ‘not as hard as being put in torture chambers or sent into exile,’ Chomsky said, referring to some of the tragedies civilians in Israel are encountering.
After giving a thorough overview of the history and past conflicts that have occurred in the Middle East, as well as certain roles the United States has played throughout the years, Chomsky answered questions from students in the audience.
‘What we focus on is other people’s problems, it is a standard view,’ Chomsky said, encouraging students to look at their own ‘moral mirror’ and address problems the United States is causing, rather than pointing the finger at someone else, or another country.
‘ The lecture was a collaboration by the PSA and the Arab Student Association (ASA).
‘[Chomsky] came to Northeastern two years ago to give a presentation, we kept in touch through e-mail,’ Lebeche said. ‘I e-mailed his secretary who got in touch with him, and he said he would love to come back.’
The PSA and ASA have worked together in the past, holding a candlelight vigil for victims of Middle East violence in January. Members wanted to bring more information besides just what the media portrays about the issues occurring in the Middle East to students, said Carlotta Starks , a junior involved in PSA.
‘We wanted students to get truth, and I absolutely think they did,’ Lebeche said. ‘Chomsky is very straightforward, and students who brought up questions opposing his beliefs found it very hard to argue with him since his beliefs are facts, not opinions.’
The event was also held to inspire more people to become aware and research what’s going on in the Middle East as well as Israel, look into the facts and history and inspire people to actually become involved in different movements, Starks said.
‘Noam is really good at inspiring people to realize they have the power to do something,,’ she said.