During his second visit to Penn State, Israeli Consul General Uriel Palti was introduced to a different kind of politics -- the politics of ice cream.

He was taken to visit the Penn State Creamery on Tuesday and said he got a taste of the Death by Chocolate flavor.

"It almost killed me with the death chocolate," he said with a laugh.

Palti, who is stationed at the Consulate General of Israel in Philadelphia, came to Penn State Tuesday and yesterday to meet with Penn State President Graham Spanier, various college deans and members of Penn State Hillel. He met with Spanier and presented him with the major issues that face the state of Israel.

Alex Bolotovsky, the president of Hillel, said Palti went to Hillel's student board meeting last night and answered questions from students. Bolotovsky said Palti summed up Israel's current situation with three topics: Gaza, Iran and Israel's 60th anniversary as a state this summer.

"He's a pretty high-level diplomat," Bolotovsky said. "It's a really big honor for all of us to meet with someone of such caliber and take the time to answer our questions ... He's a big deal."

Bolotovsky said he asked Palti about the possibility of Israel becoming an option for Penn State's study abroad program again.

Palti told him he had met with a professor of communications about it and would discuss the matter in his meeting with Spanier as well.

Palti said Penn State is one of the most important places in America to Israel.

"This great university, which has here almost 50,000 students, is really raising the future generation of the leadership of the United States," he said.

Palti's consul in Philadelphia is responsible for five and half states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware and southern New Jersey.

His consul is one of nine Israeli Consulates in the United States; his job is to deliver the message of Israel and to thank the American people and the American leaders for their continuous support of Israel.

The main issue now, Palti said, is the Iranian threat.

"We are trying to raise awareness of the free world because it's not only a threat to Israel, it's a threat to the free world, and Iran should be stopped from enriching uranium," he said.

"This is a top priority of our policy and thank God Americans understand that, but it's not the case with all the European countries."

Palti said he does not get to visit universities as much as he would like, but has visited the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University in Philadelphia, and he went to University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University two weeks ago.

"Visiting universities may be the most important issue in our work because you want to get them aware of our issues and our agenda," he said. "And, if I may say so, with enjoyment."

On Oct. 26, 1994, Palti was present for the peace treaty signing between Israel and Jordan with King Hussein of Jordan, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and President [Bill] Clinton.

"Except visiting here in State College, this was the highlight of my diplomatic career," he said. "What gives a diplomat satisfaction more than bringing peace to enemies?"

When Palti visits universities, he said students today seem less interested in international politics.

"I see it as part of my job to raise their awareness," he said. "Maybe students are more focused on studying, which may be good."