Israeli adviser Ra´anan Gissin was only a few minutes into his speech Monday night at the University at Albany when the jeering began.

But the shouts of "End the occupation!" from a tiny minority in a room of more than 400 people seemed only to encourage Gissin to repeat his stance -- that Israel still wanted peace, but would not hesitate to fight back if provoked. And that´s regardless of whether an attack comes from Palestinians or from Iraq.

"Don´t mess with us. Beware. You attempt to provoke us every time," he told a protester, who stood with a sign that said "Free Palestine."

"When we offer you reason," Gissin said, "you offer us the blood trail of suicide bombings and homicide killings."

Gissin´s speech, brought to UAlbany by the group Caravan for Democracy, took place at the university´s Campus Center. Outside, a crowd of more than 50 people stood with signs and a megaphone, protesting for the rights of Palestinians. A smaller crowd, with several members holding up an Israeli flag, stood a few yards away and shouted in favor of Israel. Chants of "U.S.A., Israel," on one side were countered by "U.S.A., Palestine" on the other.

The opposing camps moved closer and closer to each other as they chanted, with a few protesters getting within inches. But otherwise the evening was peaceful. Campus police stood by just in case.

Inside, security was even tighter. Those who came for the speech had to wait on no fewer than four lines as they filed upstairs and were checked for weapons. Dozens of officers, both in uniform and in plainclothes, lined the walls.

Gissin, who was born in Israel, spent time in Brooklyn and earned a doctorate at Syracuse University. A former member of the Israel Defense Forces, he has been a spokesman for the country and is now one of the top advisers to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

During his frequently interrupted speech, he offered no new information about the peace process. Nor did he present any concrete hope that a positive change will come soon.

"We are in World War III," he said, referring to 9/11, the Bali bombing and the hostage-taking in Moscow. "It´s already here, my friends. It´s a war of terrorism, and it´s going to intensify."

The protesters made up a tiny portion of the audience. One man, student Yunus Fiske, stood in the back for the entire time with his hand upraised in a victory sign. Another, who shouted early on, left the hall when asked. Others continued to shout, using the word apartheid when Gissin promised that Palestinians would be treated equally by Israel if they stopped the bombing campaign. One young man stood with the protesters, fingering rosary beads and praying.

Despite his pessimism, Gissin said there still was hope.

"We are willing to do our share for peace. We are willing to make painful compromises," he said. "If you really want a state of your own, then you have to turn around to your own people and say, ´We have to come to terms and reconcile with the Jews.´ " (copyright 1996- 2002, Capital Newspapers 10/29/02)