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Last update - 00:42 20/11/2008
Peres speech at Oxford University disrupted by anti-Israel protesters
By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: Peres knighthood, Israel News 

LONDON - President Shimon Peres, on the first day of a state visit to Britain on Tuesday, devoted part of his speech on the issues of peace and globalization at Oxford University to United States President-elect Barack Obama.

Peres' speech was then disrupted by anti-Israel protesters.

Zionism started because of anti-Semitism and racism, and the election of Obama to be president of the United States might just be the end of this racism, Peres said during his speech.
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However, his speech was repeatedly interrupted by a group of students who vociferously protested Israel's policy in the territories. These students were silenced by a majority of the audience, while the president carried on with his speech.

Earlier, Peres said that Syria understands that it would benefit from the return of land in a peace deal with Israel, given that Israel had returned captured territory in peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan.

"Egypt made peace with Israel, and so did Jordan and they got back all the territory. Syria knows that if it will make real peace and change its ways it will get the same," he said.

Israel seized control of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. It annexed the area in 1981, although the move has not been recognized by the international community. The possibility of the return of the territory as part of a peace deal with Syria has met fierce opposition in Israel.

The president warned earlier Tuesday that making Israel's readiness to make peace with Syria depends on whether Damascus is prepared to rein in the Iran-backed Hezbollah organization, which is based in Lebanon.

Speaking in a BBC radio interview, Peres said that Syria cannot expect Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights while Iran furthers its influence in Lebanon with the help of Syria.

"Israel is not prepared to tolerate an Iranian presence on its border," Peres said, in an apparent reference to Hezbollah.

"If Syria will understand that they can't have the Golan Heights and keep Lebanon as a base for the Iranians, then the decision will be clear," Peres added.

"But if she wants the Golan Heights back and keeps her bases in Lebanon - which are really controlled and financed by the Iranians - no Israeli will agree to have Iranians on our borders."

Syria has held indirect talks with Israel through Turkish mediation in recent months. Syrian officials have in the past rejected Israeli demands that Damascus drop its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and give up its alliance with Iran as part of a peace deal.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband visited Damascus on Tuesday, after completing a two-day visit to Israel.

Peres' visit to London was aimed at marking 60 years of Anglo-Israeli relations. During his time in Britain, the president is set to meet with Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

He will also deliver an address to both Houses of Parliament in London.

Peres is expected hold discussions with British leaders on economic cooperation, Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations and Iran's nuclear program.

On Thursday, Peres will visit Buckingham Palace and meet with the Queen, who will bestow upon him an honorary knighthood.

The president will also speak at Oxford University to kick off a series of lectures named after him.

Although Peres was warmly received in the U.K., his visit came at a time of relative tension between the two countries, following Britain's bid to require Israel to label all products made in the West Bank.

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      1.   Israel not prepared to tolerate Iranian presence on its border? 12:23  |  Natallie Durson 18/11/08
      2.   Syria is Lebanon: Lebanon is Syria 12:53  |  Sebanon 18/11/08
      3.   Natallie hypothetical 13:18  |  Peter Williams 18/11/08
      4.   Syrian bases in Lebanon? 13:38  |  Checker 18/11/08
      5.   I though Peres was the president not the prime minister 13:40  |  Labhras 18/11/08
      6.   Time to Boycott These Anti Semites 14:02  |  Ses 18/11/08
      7.   To Natallie 14:40  |  Walid 18/11/08
      8.   Peres Has No Power To Say That 15:00  |  Ralph Levy 18/11/08
      9.   Great idea 15:10  |  Dani 18/11/08
      10.   Natalie you ignoring the central point of the ME 15:12  |  Simon 18/11/08
      11.   It`s Not Syria`s Land 15:16  |  Yishai Kohen 18/11/08
      12.   Peres can`t ignore the Israel public 15:19  |  Nate 18/11/08
      13.   very nice honor 15:30  |  joe Smith 18/11/08
      14.   LOSS OF ISRAELI SOVERIGNTY SOON 15:34  |  Barry S. Roffman 18/11/08
      15.   Peres 15:40  |  Brod 18/11/08
      16.   Running around the world offering up Israel...ridiculous.... 15:47  |  Jordan 18/11/08
      17.   A GREAT LEADER 15:57  |  indrajaya 18/11/08
      18.   Peace with Jordan and Egypt?? 16:33  |  Piecenik 18/11/08
      19.   For a change 16:40  |  Motic 18/11/08
      20.   At last 16:42  |  Sherlock Holmes 18/11/08
      21.   LOSS OF ISRAELI SOVERIGNTY (Edited) 16:50  |  Barry S. Roffman 18/11/08
      22.   More garbage 16:52  |  Mikesailor 18/11/08
      23.   Natalie has no real concept of war or the middle east... 17:42  |  James 18/11/08
      24.   Toss the Israelis a small bone & Zionists wag their tails # 18 17:44  |  Clickfool 18/11/08
      25.   Israel will never give up the Golan, why would they?..... 17:46  |  Jimmy 18/11/08
      26.   Peter Williams - A hypothetical answer 17:55  |  Natallie Durson 18/11/08
      27.   Indrajaya, what do you know about great leaders? 17:56  |  Jordan 18/11/08
      28.   Note Haartz Links Earlier Article (zeev, Johnboy, duncan) 18:04  |  Reader 18/11/08
      29.   #10, dont be surprised 18:17  |  Fritz T. 18/11/08
      30.   Speak softly 18:18  |  Baz Mann 18/11/08
      31.   No! To the withdrawals from the Golan. 18:19  |  Jean Van Daem 18/11/08
      32.   The Nation is with the Golan. 18:21  |  Jean Van Daem 18/11/08
      33.   Golan is welded into Israel forever!!! 19:21  |  cleva treva 18/11/08
      34.   #13 Barry 19:24  |  Ronald 18/11/08
      35.   Natalie, you may never come back from Syria 19:29  |  Cleva Treva 18/11/08
      36.   oops, he did it again! Go Perski!!!!! 19:47  |  D 18/11/08
      37.   Syria: Israel will benefit of peace deal in front of nuclear Iran 19:48  |  Aounist 18/11/08
      38.   # 16 INDY...by bestowing knighthood 19:51  |  Lynn 18/11/08
      39.   Syrian Bases? Not Even in the Herald Tribune, Checker 19:56  |  Reader 18/11/08
      40.   does Israel know the benefits of peace deal with Syria? 19:57  |  Pablo B 18/11/08
      41.   Syria DOES know the benefits of peace with Israel 19:57  |  Assad 18/11/08
      42.   Natallie, I Was Hoping You Would Have Chosen Canada 19:59  |  Reader 18/11/08
      43.   Nathalie, Just answer 20:09  |  Aby 18/11/08
      44.   I DID HEAR MR PERES 20:56  |  Ian 18/11/08
      45.   Natallie you would leave it to chance? 22:01  |  Peter Williams 18/11/08
      46.   oh why hurry?! 22:09  |  FalluJah 18/11/08
      47.   Natalie, Israel doesnt want you, please go to Syria.. 17:32  |  James 18/11/08
      48.   Hamas payroll growing: Indrajaya, Natallie, Clickidiot 23:32  |  Yacov 18/11/08
      49.   #31 Ronald - CFR & 2 TRIPS WORLD TOURS 23:58  |  Barry S. Roffman 18/11/08
      50.   #38 Lynn`s gone silly ... 00:44  |  Roo 19/11/08
      51.   We Dont Want Peace with Israel 01:11  |  Arab Syrian 19/11/08
      52.   Looney left does not tolerate the leftist if he is a Jew 01:37  |  17 19/11/08
      53.   Shimon Peres continues his appeasement policies 01:39  |  Ken Jurist 19/11/08
      54.   Peres Residual Oslo Psychosis 01:39  |  David Stoler 19/11/08
      55.   #38 Lynn`s being silly ... 01:41  |  Roo 19/11/08
      56.   I Want Damascus, and Assad Knows I Expect Damascus 01:48  |  Eric Wood 19/11/08
      57.   Peres offered Half of Israel to Jim Jones 01:56  |  Ken Johnson 19/11/08
      58.   silly old Peres 01:56  |  Connie 19/11/08
      59.   Great - Peres deserved it. 01:58  |  paulo2005 19/11/08
      60.   #38 Lynn`s being silly ... 02:04  |  Roo 19/11/08
      61.   this joker should be arrested....... 02:57  |  Sam (UK) 19/11/08
      62.   Checker 03:07  |  utagawa 19/11/08
      63.   So much for free speech 03:10  |  utagawa 19/11/08
      64.   Arab syrian 03:26  |  Philippe 19/11/08
      65.   To Natalie Durson Re Syria or Israel 04:04  |  Monitor 19/11/08
      66.   Egypt & Jordan received financial compensation from America to 04:06  |  American in NY 19/11/08
      67.   Philippe 04:52  |  Arab Syrian 19/11/08
      68.   Indrajaya - WE AGREE!! 05:42  |  Craig 19/11/08
      69.   SAM UK shame Britain does not agree with you. 05:50  |  PETER SM 19/11/08
      70.   AM in NY so why do other Moslem countries get aid? 05:53  |  PETER SM. 19/11/08
      71.   How old is the diplomatic relationship between UK and Israel 06:34  |  Hazarin 19/11/08
      72.   Hazirin 08:22  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/11/08
      73.   #41 Assad 09:18  |  Hastaroth 19/11/08
      74.   #67 Arab Syrian 10:08  |  Najd 19/11/08
      75.   re: Natallie Durson 10:12  |  UsedToPostHere 19/11/08
      76.   Monitor 10:55  |  Peter Williams 19/11/08
      77.   What is JDL UK doing...scratching their navels? 11:57  |  Terminator 19/11/08
      78.   Arab Syrian?? 12:05  |  Terminator 19/11/08
      79.   to natallie 13:01  |  yosi 19/11/08
      80.   Bravo for free speech! 13:25  |  samos 19/11/08
      81.   Answer to Natallie Durson 13:27  |  Israeil Citizen 19/11/08
      82.   Gee #71 brain into gear 13:27  |  Roo 19/11/08
      83.   oxford is a very insecure place!!!! 14:11  |  michel 19/11/08
      84.   Hezbollah must leave Lebanon in exchange for Golan 15:04  |  Alicia 19/11/08
      85.   #60 Roo...Lynn can be anything she wants 15:10  |  Lynn 19/11/08
      86.   Roo, Roo, Rooster coming home! 15:41  |  Ofer Maimon 19/11/08
      87.   Peter Williams - You sound biased 15:51  |  Natallie Durson 19/11/08
      88.   The UK is a hot bed of racism, anti-Jewish racism in that and 15:55  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 19/11/08
      89.   PERES EMBARRASSES ISRAEL AS MUCH AS CARTER EMBARRASSES THE US 16:02  |  Freethinker 19/11/08
      90.   TO SES. KEN LIVINGSTONE HAS GONE. 16:20  |  DANNY. 19/11/08
      91.   TO HAARETZ 16:28  |  DANNY, 19/11/08
      92.   TO NO 17. 16:33  |  DANNY 19/11/08
      93.   TO NO 22 16:36  |  DANNY. 19/11/08
      94.   Money talks 16:39  |  k 19/11/08
      95.   TO NO 37. 16:49  |  DANNY 19/11/08
      96.   Peter Williams hypothetical 16:52  |  W 19/11/08
      97.   TO NO 44. 16:56  |  DANNY 19/11/08
      98.   #42 Reader from Edmonton 17:23  |  Robert/Montreal 19/11/08
      99.   American in NY youof course are an idiot 17:29  |  Big Sur 19/11/08
      100.   Obama`s time table and Iran 17:29  |  arik 19/11/08
      101.   #51 Arab Syrian, could not have said it better you guys never wan 17:31  |  Big Sur 19/11/08
      102.   TO NO 68. 17:33  |  DANNY. 19/11/08
      103.   Najd my friend 23:04  |  Syrian Arab 19/11/08
      104.   Natallie 23:12  |  Peter Williams 19/11/08
      105.   British Academy is full of antiSemites 00:13  |  Danny 20/11/08
      106.   Criminal Regimes Earn Deserved Contempt 00:17  |  Gray 20/11/08
      107.   #88 Yehudah Ben-Israel 00:17  |  Sarah 20/11/08
      108.   #61 Sam (UK) 00:23  |  Sarah 20/11/08
      109.   to #81 - in America, you have a right to a public defender... 00:28  |  PL 20/11/08
      110.   DANNY: #91... "IF" ??? If you have to talk so tough.... 00:36  |  Gray 20/11/08
      111.   peres 01:20  |  shimon 20/11/08
      112.   there is no god 03:37  |  heretic 20/11/08
      113.   ARAB & other free speech lovers go ape. 04:02  |  PETER SM 20/11/08
      114.   #103 Killing Grannies 04:11  |  k 20/11/08
      115.   "k" Criminal Complicity In Today`s Atrocities 05:11  |  Gray 20/11/08
      116.   Gray #103 05:15  |  Darren White 20/11/08
      117.   FREEDOM of speech? Only if you sing their hymns 08:21  |  PETER SM 20/11/08
      118.   Oxford`s black eye 20:12  |  Glenn Harbison 20/11/08
      119.   Darren White; Ever Been To Southern Lebanon? 20:48  |  Gray 20/11/08
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