Anne Peltier/THE POST Danny Rubinstein, right, speaks with Israel and Nili Urieli of Athens before his presentation in Baker Center Ballroom. The Israeli native presented a lecture on "A Journalist's View of the Israeli-Arab Conflict" last night.

The heart of the Israeli-Arab conflict came to Baker Center Ballroom last night as Israeli journalist Danny Rubinstein maintained his belief that in the long run there will be peace.

In yesterday's lecture, Rubinstein emphasized that the conflict is the result not of religious, cultural or economic gaps between the countries, but of political disputes. Recognizing Palestine as a people is essential to compromising and negotiating peace, he said.

"The main fear amongst Israelis is security, and the establishment of a Palestinian state is a threat to their existence," he said.

Although both sides know they will have to compromise, it is not as simple as it looks, Rubinstein said.

"Palestinians didn't only lose land. They lost their identity. They lost their dignity," he said.

Rubinstein, a member of the editorial board of the Jerusalem newspaper Ha'aretz, visited Athens thanks to the sponsorship of Hillel and the Community Relations Council Speakers' Bureau.

Samuel Horowitz, director of community relations for the Columbus Jewish Federation, said Rubinstein's appearance in Athens was just one day in a week of speaking for the federation's yearly Scholar and Residence Program in central Ohio.

In addition to last night's speech, Rubinstein also spoke at Hillel and in the classes of visiting professional Terry Anderson and journalism professor Anne Cooper-Chen.

"From our perspective, it's a community service we made available to OU and Hillel," Horowitz said.

Sophomore Ricky Gold said he learned more valuable information about the conflict from Rubinstein than from any other source.

"It was really nice to hear about the situation firsthand from somebody who's actually been in this and seen this instead of a teacher who's just kind of getting it out of a textbook," he said. "I always hear so much about it; I wanted to get my facts straight."

Rubinstein said that while covering the potentially life-threatening conflict, he has had rocks thrown at his car and has been caught in shooting during demonstrations.

"It's not that terrible after you adjust to it. To die is not very simple. To live also is not very simple," he said. "If you want to be safe, stay home. Don't drive in snow. And don't be a journalist."

-Eric Schwartzberg contributed to this story.