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Soon after hearing the news that Israel had bombed the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Combiz Abdolrahimi opened a forum for discussion in the best way he saw fit – on Facebook.

With a group that has drawn more than 2,600 members in less than three weeks, the third-year political science and economics student joined thousands of his peers who have begun to use Facebook and other Web sites as a means of political activity.

“(Facebook) is the main networking site between students and so it’s easy to arrange things with a particular group of students,” said David Fischel, a third-year mathematics and applied science student who created the group “Stop Iran” and is a member of several other Facebook groups on topics dealing with political issues.

“Stop Iran,” which Fischel said he started with the purpose of creating a forum for students who believe Iranian nuclear development poses a serious threat to the world, and Abdolrahimi’s group “Stop Israel from Invading Lebanon!”, are two of hundreds of other politically charged Facebook groups on topics ranging from President Bush’s policies to abortion.

Tens of thousands of Facebook advertisements, many of them bought by students, have been displayed alongside profiles, message in-boxes and friends lists in the past few weeks, some expressing support for Israel’s recent actions, but most condemning the nation.

Abdolrahimi’s group, which is open to students from any school, is aimed at informing students about suffering being caused by the situation between Israel and Lebanon and creating a place where students from across the globe can discuss the situation.

“Not everyone reads the news ... (but) people use Facebook,” Abdolrahimi said. “It’s a really good mechanism that we established that we hope will get the message out there.”

These forums for discussion have created a new space for students to advocate, debate and share opinions that students say have some benefits that more traditional modes of campaigning lack.

Though often groups will mostly include students with similar beliefs on a given topic, a quick read through comment boards on different groups shows that though students may agree on the broader issue, they often disagree on specifics.

Students also respond to messages they see in Facebook groups and ads by creating other groups, bringing a variety of opinions to Facebook.

Dustin Linden, a fourth-year political science student, created a group called “The Fact Group” in direct response to Abdolrahimi’s group.

“It was just for me ... very easy,” said Linden, whose group is aimed at highlighting information that he felt was not addressed in other Facebook groups on the Middle East.

By creating a Facebook group, Fischel said students can easily gather with other students who share similar opinions.

“It allows students to choose for themselves if they want to be part of the group,” he said. “You don’t have to look for them – they look for you.”

And the relative anonymity of Facebook also makes it easier for some students to express their opinions or ask questions, Abdolrahimi said. Though any Facebook comment will be connected to the user’s name and school, users are not forced to engage in face-to-face discussion.

“(On Facebook) you’re able to post your thoughts freely without someone being there, looking at you,” he said.

“If you’re on Bruin Walk or if you’re at a rally, if you say something that’s ... not in line with what everyone else believes, you’re right there, you’re face-to-face with the (person),” he said. “It’s more confrontational, as opposed to Facebook, where you can post a message (and) you’re not afraid ... they’re going to look at you differently.”

Any type of rally, event or advocacy that takes place on campus also draws from a relatively small group – UCLA students or a few local residents.

Facebook can generate discussion from students around the world.

“It’s a global group,” Abdolrahimi said. “We get a lot of people from schools within Israel and within Lebanon that post messages about what it’s like under the daily bombing.”

“We have people from Tennessee and Georgia. We couldn’t have done that without Facebook,” he added.

But other students said the lack of direct contact is also where the drawbacks of Facebook discussions are found.

Linden drew some comparisons between Bruin Walk and Facebook, contrasting Bruin Walk as a forum that can reach students with a wider range of interests and Facebook as a place where students can spend more time on a specific topic.

“Bruin Walk is effective for getting your opinion out, but not for making an argument,” Linden said. “(On Facebook) you can read my argument, you can read what I wrote, and you can spend ... time on it.”

And Leeron Morad, president of Bruins for Israel, said for him Facebook only serves to supplement other types of advocacy – it is an easy way to send out messages, promote his group’s ideas, and advertise for events, but it can never be the only way.

“If you really want to get your message across you have to have events, real events for people to come to in person,” Morad said.

Morad and Randa Wahbe, president of Students for Justice in Palestine, recently created a Facebook group called “Peace in the Middle East,” which Morad said is aimed at promoting collaboration between students in their respective communities.

For the purpose his group serves, online interaction is not sufficient.

“Nothing can ever come close to advocating with your friends for an issue. Virtual clubs just don’t do the trick,” he said.