1993_12 Insight December 1993

              December 8,1993
Insight/California State University, Fresno
Page 3
Israel and Palestine: A lasting peace?
An Insight special report on the Israeli-PLO peace accord
By Mohammad Baddar
and Davin A. Hutchins
Staff Writers
Intheswdteringsu
cr heat of 1985,
tides them to the entire region. Rabbi Zirkind asserted unequivocally,
The Kingdom of Israel's boundaries, "We were in Jerusalem long before the
according to Torah, should eventually ex- Arabs in 3000 B.C" Zirkind refers to the
tend beyond the Jordan River, past the KingdomofJudcaandSamariaestablished
Golan Heights, across the Suez Canal and by the ancient Hebrews before their expul-
:o Lebanon," Zirkind said, which is well
Palestinian Hasan al-Hassan patiently beyond Israel's present borders,
waited at his home in Ramallah for the "What? We should give up our land for
a/nvalofhis brother, Jamal. After depart- onelousypromiseofpeace?"askedZirkind.
ing from Kuwait, JamaTs aircraft was due The more ^J vou gj^ thcm_ lne more
to touchdown in Td Aviv, Israel. l^d mcv ^H ^i."
Later that evening, the brothers re- But Palestinian Khalid Mu
kindled their fraternal bonds until the silence ofthe night was pierced by a pounding at the door. Several Israeli soldiers
forced their way through the
locked doorway and arrested |^^B
Jamal without explanation.
Jamal was detained for 35
days and later released, only to
board a plane back to Kuwait
month-long visit planned with
his family.
Al-Hassan said arbitrary arrests by Israelis, stonings of
soldiers by Palestinians and
other manifestations of mutual hatred were all common-
udisagra
by the Romans in 70 AD.
For centuries after the Jewish diaspora,
surrounding Arabs migrated into the area
now called Palestine, establishing it as their
chosen homeland under many Islamic empires and cohabitating with Jewish Arabs.
"Israelis cannot argue that Israel should
ming the Israelis are bent on acquiring     be theirs simply because Jews were there
aid for a greater state of Israel.
They will never give us the
first," Musa said. "Arabs ruled in Palestin
for centuries when the Jews weren't even
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_     there."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^EEKURM I n die late 180Os. religious
intolerance in Europe and
7 really believe the agreement   Rmsb sPlwncd !hc, z'oni*
. ** ** movement, in which Euro-
is doing to work this time. I     F»nj™>iwpa> °«t>ibh
want to believe it's going to
work... I have to.'
— Israeli Sarit Miller
"land of Israel," then pan of
the Turkish Ottoman Em-
"Evcryjcwhaspravcdovcr
centuries for the redemption
of the land of Son," said
Zirkind. "Throughout his-
place under Isradi military rule in the     back," Musa said, "and ifthcy did it would     tory, Jews prayed three times daily for the
occupied West Bank.
"We were reminded ofthe occupation
all the time," Al-Hassan said. "There was
be for a limited tii
back." He said Israel'
expansionism is evident in their flag, where
the two blue lines represent the Nile and
Euphrates rivers with the Jewish people in
Therefore, Musa supports the I
intil they were ready     rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple. Now
no escaping it.
But 26 years after the acquisition
those occupied territories, both Israelis.
Palestinians appear willing to plan an
cape from constant war to enduring peace,     of Hamas, a militant" Islamic Palesti
On Sept. t3, PLO Chairman Yasser confederation opposing the peace accord.
Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Unlike the PLO. Hamas still refuses to
Rabin signed a peace agreement between recognise Israel's right to exist and seeks to
Israel and the Palestinian peopic, outlining destroy the nation, establishing an Islamic
terms for autonomy in the Gaza Strip and     ai[e
wc arc there, so why should wc give that
up?"
While the agreement has laid the foundation for mutual recognition, Israeli military withdrawal and Palestinian self-rule,
Hcs
d (he [
After the Turks lost in World War I in
1917. Palestine was transformed into a
lxaguc of Nations mandate under Great
Britain, a country that officially sanctioned
a Jewish national homeland.
Adolf Hitler's sordid extermination of
nearly6 million Jews during World War II
caused thousands of Jews to flee to Palestine for their lives. When the British pulled
out, the Zionists made their bid for indc-
is pray the Palestinians     pendencein 1948 and founded the state of
id, purging the region of native Pales-
will not unite under their religion becai
Islam has proved to be the strongest clc
of Arab cohesion in the past. That'
the agreement is still hampered by a per-     why they signed the agrccmeni
The a
petual state of war, age-old prejudices and
an uncertain path yet to be traveled.
Ihe watershed in the Arab-Israeli di
pute occurred in 1967, when the state i
Israel won the West Bank, the
Golan Heights and Gaza Strip
from bordering Arab nations. In
the process, Israel assumed the
undesirable role of overlord over
the indigenous Palestinian popu
lar PLO, he said.
He added that anothci
signed the accord
I n respon sc, the Palesti nc Liberation Organization rose to
prom inencc vowing to eradicate
Israel and founded a Palestinian
state. Both panics refused to recognize each other during this era
of military rule, terrorism and
Yet now a light glimmers on
the horizon that may lead to
Israel and Palestinian cohabitation, if both panics manage to
fill the chasms preventing them
from acknowledging their common human rights and liberties.
One vast chasm dividing the
two parties over the agreement is
the same obstade preventing
peace for years: the adherence to
religious dogmatism that roots
out any possible compromise.
"I object to this peace process
because Israd is negotiating with
Arabs, who are terrorists," said
Rabbi Levy Zirkind. "Arabs have no regard
for hum an life. This isn't land for peace; it's
land for pieces."
Zirkind, an Orthodox rabbi, is also
director of Chabat, a Hasidic social outreach program for Fresno Jews. He received rabbinical training in "'
has yet to travel to Israel.
"Giving back 'land for peace' ii forbidden according to Jewish law," Zirkind said.
He added that Orthodox Jews believe the
landoflstaelwaspromisedtothem through
God's covenant with Abraham, which cn-
Synopsis of Israeli-PLO Peace Agreement
Sept. 13,1993— Peace agreement is signed by PLO
Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Washington, DC
Dec. 13,1993— Israelis to begin military withdrawal
from Gaza and Jericho
April 13,1994— Deadline for total withdrawal from
Gaza and Jericho
July 13,1994— Final deadline for holding elections
for the Palestinian Council to replace Israel's
military occupation administration
• Redeployment of Israeli troops outside Arab
populated areas in the West Bank; Israeli
troops remain in Jewish settlements for security
.Palestinian council to collect taxes for schools,
hospitals, courts and police forces
•Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation to
negotiate water, electricity, energy, finance,
transportation and development issues
Dec. 13,199S— Final deadline for commencing talks
on a permanent peace settlement
'Determine final status of West Bank, Gaza and
Jerusalem
'Resolve remaining issues on military deployment. Jewish settlements, Palestinian refugees
who fled during 1967 war, security arrangements with neighboring Arab countries
•Since trie accord was signed, at least
34 Palestinians and 9 Israelis have been killed.
,u^ c
■arf".ir<
cord, ridding themselves ofthe Palestinian
"I agree when Hamas says that the fight
should not be Palestinian against Palestinian," Musa said, "but Palestinian against
real but     Uradi."
The appeal of religious zealotry merely becai
scratches the surface of the underiying said.'
crucial issues that divide Israelis and Pales- "\
tinians into separate camps. Another reason is the historical claims both Arabs and
Jews say they have to the land of Palestine.
nued security of Israel is the
No. 1 concern today," said Doron Mamo,
a native-born Israeli who left Israel for
Fresno in  1979. "After what happened,
the PLO and      after the Holocaust, wc cannot take too
tc each other     many risks...wc cannot take the slightest
chance we will ever be exterminated again."
Yet some Arabs argue they
have witnessed attempts by the
Israelis to exterminate Palestinians. One such instance was during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, when the Israel, forces
marched to Beirut to expel the
PLO.
International business major
AhmcdAbdullah served asaPI.O
"freedom fighter" in that war. In
the midst of completing his high
school finals, Abdullah dropped
out because of his sense of obligation to fellow Palestinians.
"PLO fighters had very high
ipirits," said Abdullah. "We were
defending against Israeli aggression and fighting for our homeland. When the attacks were
heavy, many people died right in
front of my eyes."
Among the people who died
were those in the infamousSabra
and Shatila camps in which Israelis allowed the pitiless massacre of more than 300 Palestinian
civilians as the)' withdrew from
"If the Jews suffered so much in Nazi
Germany," asked Musa, "why did they do
the same to us in Sabra and Shatila' They
should be more understanding and sympathetic to human beings."
Abdullah explained the fear behind the
pullout. "We had to withdraw
r people were slaughtered," he
in danger of being exterminated by the Israelis."
Given the amount of bloodshed and
rocks and bullets exchanged over the years,
International
Jerusalem
1948-
1967
1967-
1993
braal ««W
1948 War
I,r-,r.|,n,l(V,-,,ni,.H ( I -l ■/ a, ' Ipr irhn
Territories Peace Accord
K surprising why both panics fear      and Pales:
thei.
Despite the salient historical examples,
a piecemeal "extermination" exists every
day for both Pal cstiniansand Israelis. Arbitrary deportations of Palestinian activists...
the stoning of Israeli soldiers during
intifada... random subbings of Israelis by
Palestinian fanatics... Israeli soldiers gun-
ningdownchildrcnarmcdonly with stones.
That's why many Israelis and Palestinians say the opportunity from the Gaza-
Jcricho agreement must be seized now, for
it may never pass their way again.
In a nutshell, the agreement calls for
mutual recognition between Israel and the
PLO. Israeli troops will begin withdrawal
from the Gaza Strip and West Bank town
of Jericho on Dec. 13. Next summer, the
Palestinians will be allowed to elect a self-
governing body for its own internal affairs.
Finally, in two years, negotiations will
begin for the final status of Jerusalem and
the West Bank.
"It's impossible to underestimate the
importance ofthis agreement," said prominent Israeli television anchor-
s prompted the
leaders, they threatened to keep troops
deployed until the violence abated.
"'rhispostponcdwithdrawalshowshow
serious the Israelis areaboui this and makes
us very leery of their intentions," Isam
All the factionscan get     Abed said.
and Arafat will have a He hopes the Israelis will deliver on
their promise, otherwise the agreement is
not a peace, but a piece of pper.
"I object to any Israeli army presence in
the West Bank or Gaza Strip after the
ultimate withdrawal of Israeli troops,"
Abdullah said. "But they will use the excuse of needing to stay tberc to protect the
Jewish settlements."
Mamo said both sides stand to benefit
from a lasting peace and the key is economic prosperity. "Israel has a lot to offer
— like irrigation and heavy industry —
and a lot to gain — like markets in Arab
now boycotting us.
'Without economic interdependence,
peace will not last. But with it, die
"Both sides arc hurting and tired of thr
problem." said El-Abed. "1 welcome thi:
agreement because the plan will take fiv<
used to each othi
chance to prove he can keep the peace and
control the people."
Abdullah said the agrcemen t is a chance
of a lifetime and Palestinians must answer
the call.
"A lot of work needs to be done on the
Palestinian side to prove their solidarity."
He hopes an independent country can
emerge from Jericho and Gaza, eventually
covering the whole West Bank after the
three-year interim period.
"We will have all the essentials of an
independent state by then," said Abdullah.
"We'll have land, population, a flag and
embassies — all Palestinian. However, Israel will try to prevent an independt
because it goes against their ultimate goal     Middle East could become the most dcvel-
of geographic expansion." oped regi
Even Israelis think the idea of statehood Whe
n Ya'av
,■ Ah in
1'aloti
"This is a very dramatic development in Arab-Israeli rc-
"We  never  recognized
each  a '
miM."
to earnestly, the indi-
inthems sung by both
lians and Israelis share
ic somber tempo and
melancholy mdody — that
song ofthe human spirit that
ycarnsforcommon peace with
others, even after the   shed-
"only in the battlefield. Because wc [Israeli] had
been indoctrinated tor so long
that wc should not negotiate
with the PLO, the agreement
came as a big shock for us —
a shock of joy and happiness.'
V
ir.ng h
broadcast journalist with Israeli TV,he has
been an astute observer ofthe Arab-Israeli
dispute over the territories. He said there
are many reasons why the accord was
signed now.
One, the stalled peace talks under
United States sponsorship sparked the secret talks in Oslo under the aegis of Norwegian Foreign Minister J ohm Jorgcn
Hoist.
Two. Israelis were ready to wash their
hands of Gaza because there is economically nothing of worth in it.
Finally, he sajd Israel could no longer
cope with the violent Palestinian uprising,
or intifada, which erupted in 1987.
As Israeli Sam Miller put it: The worst
thing that could happen was that the Arabs
who live among you turn against you. It's
not like fighting on your borders — the
war isin you. ..around you. It made peopic
realize there was no other way but peace."
Miller, a Fresno resident, just returned
from Israel last month.
The feeling on the street is mixed.
Some peopic think they've been betrayed
by the govern ment and others are just tired
of fighting."
Palestinian Ala'a Kl-Abed said Israeli
7 can't hate the Jews...They
can be rid of their ignorance
and hatred just like I overcame  sm^-m^k
"Now is rhe rime, to come
to the table, sit down and
talk.'Mamosaid. "Everybody
in the Middle East has said
p_ 'enough.'Wearcallsotircdof
this nonsense — the killing
nothing."
vlillcr looks to the younger generations
ountcr the stubbornness etched into
brains ofthe ruling hard-liners.
'My parents' generation arc still very
but then again, they     hard-headed because they survived World
War II and have been hardened by dealing
with Arabs for so long," Abed said. "But
my generation and my children's genera-
my prejudice against them.
—Palestinian Isam Abed
is still up in the air, said Ahimcir, adding
that the world has entered the age of ach iev-
ing what was impossible only months ago.
"The idea of Palestinian statehood is
not finished," Ahimicr said. "Israel
refuse to talk aboi
had refused to talk to the PLO once and
now they're doing that."
Ahimeir said he thinks deep in his heart
Rabin knows there will be an independent
Palestinian state eventually, but Rabin will
never budge on a Palestinian capital in
"Jerusalem is non-negotiable," said
Zirkind. "Wc were praying in Jerusalem
long before the Arabs Everyone has their
holy places. Arabs have their places to pray
in Mecca and we have ours."
However. Jerusalem is the location of
die Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the
Rock, two ofthe h<'
Thew
"I am hoping this peace goes as planned
nd doesn't shatter in my face like before,
lut this lime, I really bdieve the agreement
i going to work. That is, I want to bdieve
:s going to work... I have to."
And Abed condudes that there is a
nivcrsal lesson within the Arab-Israeli
onflict that the woHd should take heed to:
"I hate what happened to my people,
bul I can't turn around and hate the Jews
because of it," he said. "They can be rid of
o Jerusalem becauv
ns, Jews and Christ.
cr be peace without equal     their ignorance and hatred just like I o<
" El-Abed
Dunng the past week, lsracli-I'alesiin
ic my prejudice against them.
This has never been a unique racial
trugglc between Israelis and Palestinians.
"It's time to look beyond being an
cably swayed from their Isradi, Palestinian or anything dse. We
Iclicaie balance after Israelis threatened to should look upon ourselves as a common
lolate the agreement. people serving the higher purpose of treat-
After violence erupted when Israeli sol-     ing fellow human beings witb dignity and
licrs gunned down two principal Hamas     respect."
Student dreams of return to war-torn hometown of Beirut
By Diane Greeley
StaffWriter
Coriennc Ohanessian remembers
when the bombs would stop, and it was
silent She and the other children made
animal sounds turning the bomb shelter into a zoo of laughter.
Today, far away from her home in
Beirut, Lebanon, 21-year-old
Ohanessian studies advertising and
dreams of returning to Beirut, despite
years of war between Beirut and an
invading Syria.
She came when a bomb destroyed
hcrfamiliy'sapartm en t, the event which
confirmed their decision to move to
America two years ago.
Her life was very different then.
"We spent a lot of ume in the shelter," said Ohanessian.
"We used to have a lot of parties
there and play truih-or-dare," she said.
Her friends said she wished the
bombs would come so ihey could get
together.
The bombs did come: Every night
soon after supper and stopped before
the children left ihc shelter to catch the
bus to school.
To hear her now. it sounds like a
family get-together and not a war. Al
the lime, she admits that everyday life
could be frightening, a fact her mother
confirms.
"I told her, 'Don't be scared,"" said
her mother.
"We arc in security and nothing is
going to happen here," said Therese
Ohanessian, a French teacher for more
than 19yearsaior>eofthcfincstschool
in Beirut
"She was very scared and said. 'I'd
like to leave the country.' but now she
is homesick," Ohanessian said.
She misses the small village where
she and her older brother spent many
vacations exploring ruins and playing
games like soccer, basketball and hidc-
and-scck.
The area was ideal for her favorite
pasttimesof camping, mountainclimb-
ing. fishing, flying kites and watching
the stars in the evening, she said.
These were different from her activities in the city where she liked to
shop and watch television.
Most of her time was taken up by
school, which is different from American schools, she said.
She went to the school where her
mother worked but wasn't allowed to
see ha without permission.
When she arrived home, she would
study seven hours a day.
She isn't all seriousness, though.
Her sense of humor shincd from ihe
lime she was lilUe andshc was the class
joker.
This sense of humorrcmains though
most of the rest of her life changed.
She isn't the class joker she once
"Al first, she was kind of shy bul
after getting to know her, she is very
interesting with her history and
See OHANESSIAN, page 5
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