During Israel Liberation Week at the University of Albany[16] in November 2008, ZFA activists made an effort to reach out to the Muslim Student Association in order to find common ground on a host of issues. ZFA leaders claimed success in reaching agreements with Muslim student leaders on several points and told Israel National News that the MSA at Albany recognized the Jewish people’s national rights, acknowledged that there really is no distinct Palestinian Arab nation and that in order for Jews and Arabs to make peace Western interference in the Middle East would have to end. ZFA and MSA agreed that both the Jewish and Arab peoples are Middle Eastern peoples with a great deal in common and that peace can only be achieved through grassroots dialogue.[17]