1993_05 Insight May 1993

              May 12,1993
Page 3
Israelis and Palestinians
Changing relations in Israel
By Davin A. Hutchins
Staff Writer
F.
Jalestinian Osama Nazzal, a
Fresnoresident remembers all
too well what it was like to live in
Israel's West Bank.
"Once [a friend and I] were arrested
by Israeli soldiers for nothing," Nazzal
said, reflecting back to a personal incident that occurred during the intifadah,
a massive Palestinian uprising that began in late 1987.
"Somebody threw a stone at an Israeli
soldier from the roof of our house. The
soldiers claimed it was us who threw it
butitwasn't But they just kicked open
the door and broke into our house, without even knocking, and questioned us.
"In a situation like that you have no
choice," he said. "You have to say either 'I did it' or tell who did it But we
didn't know who did it so we admitted
to it"
Nazzal said he and his friend were
arrested by the soldiers, without any
proof, and locked up overnight in
cramped guard outposts.
"Soldiers would come by and spit on
us through the windows, calling us profane names."
Nazzal's experience is not uncommon for Palestinians in the West Bank.
Because of sporadic and violent protests by Palestinians opposed to Israeli
rule, many Palestinian youihs like
Nazzal have run into trouble wiih Israeli soldiers.
Most newspapers with bureaus in Israel report on the coumless violent incidents or killings between Jews and Pal-
LEBANjCWjP^
Haifa-
3p
TdAvrviJ
bank/   - -
Aihdod/l
E$Jenualem
GAZA>A M
<"TlSRAI
:Lf^v
1\     v ,TTI
FjORDAN
EGYPTM
I*     mJr/m
>Jr\ ^Jr
r MifA
jt/\ij i v
estinians— a result of ihe 45-year-long
dispute over who has the right to live in
Palestine.
Despite the impression these reports
give, relations between Palestinians and
Jews in Israel are not necessarily inimical and are, occasionally, harmonious.
Former residenu of Israel say neither
Palestinians nor Jews fall into stereotypical molds and their relationship is
rather complex. In fact the nature of
Israeli/Palestinian relations in Israel
largely depends on which area in Israel
is being examined.
'War on one side-.'
Karin Momjian, an international business major at CSUF and ethnic Armenian, was born and raised in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, populated with nearly half
a million Jews and Arabs, is historically
a hotbed for disputes between Palestinians and Jews, primarily because it lies
precisely on ihe border of Israel proper
and the West Bank.
Although Armenian, Momjian found
she was not immune to the crossfire
between Palestinians and Jews.
Momjian said her automobile bears a
yellow license plate, like all residents of
West Jerusalem or Israel. She said
mosdy Jews drive cars with yellow li-
censeplaies, while Palestinian residents
of the West Bank drive cars with blue
plaics.
During ihe intifadah, Momjian said
Palestinian youihs mistook her for a
Jew becauseof her yellow license plate.
She said they began throwing stones at
her car while she was driving down the
streets of Jerusalem.
In a another incident, Momjian said
Palestinian youths vandalized her
family's home at nighl by smashing all
the windows for no reason. She added
her mother became paranoid for fear of
another violent Palestinian attack.
Momjian's father owns a jewelry firm
with over 30 Palestinian employees.
She said growing up, she came in frequent contact with Palestinian employees and goi along wonderfully with
them.
"I had very good relations with the
[Palestinians] who worked there." she
said.
Yet after the attack on her home, she
said she fell betrayed, especially since
she wasn't even Jewish.
"Al the time, I was so angry at ihe
Palestinians. I thought '1 have been living with you all this time... why would
you do this?'"
Momjian also described ihc confusion she felt valuing ha friendship with
Palestinians at her father's company
and feeling threatened by others. "I don't
know where I stand. I don't know if they
want me there or they don't want mc
there. It's hard to deal with.
"When I came [to CSUF], I was still
angry and didn't care what happened to
Palestinians. Bul with lime, I healed. I
miss them right now."
Intifadah: tensions build
Both Nazzal and Momjian said the
intensity of the intifadah in 1989 was
what prompted them to move abroad lo
the United States when they did.
The intifadah was the spontaneous
result of two decades of Palestinian
frustration with Israeli rule in ihc occupied territories.
After ihc brief Six-Day War in 1967.
Israel defeated the surrounding Arab
countries of Jordan, Egypt and Syria
and annexed portions of ihcir land after
the cease fire. These annexed territories, the Golan Heights, the West Bank
and ihe Gaza Strip, were inhabited
largely by native Palestinian Arabs.
Ever since Israel's acquisition of ihc
territories in 1967. indigenous Palestinians in those areas have resisted in varying degrees to Israeli occupation, military rule and the denial of Israeli citizenship.
Likewise, ihe Israeli government and
army responded by enforcing curfews,
conducting military checkpoints and
erecting blockades to pacify the areas.
In 1987, Palestinians in ihe territories
spontaneously organized strikes and
boycotted Israeli goods. Although much
of the uprising focused on civil disobedience, many Palestinians used stones
and slings against Israeli soldiers; subsequent skirmishes resulted in the loss
Fernando Tejada/lNsiorr
of both Palestinian and Israeli lives.
Momjian said before the intifadah.
relations between Israelis and Palestinians, on ihe whole, were much better.
"Everybody was fine with each other,
even though ihe Palestinians didn't have
that many rights. I admit they were
oppressed. But that changed after the
uprising— there was a lot of violence.
People threw stones and made homemade bombs."
Nazzal agreed matters got worse. "Before [the intifadah] it was bad, bul not as
bad as it got in '89. After a demonstration or something, we used to get
rounded up and interrogated. Now they
round up Palestinians for walking down
the street., for no reason at all."
'Peace on the other-.'
Momjian said that this kind of ani-
mosily is only really prevalent in j efusa-
lem and the occupied territories, not in
other major cities within Israel.
"When you go to big cities like Tel
Aviv, it's like traveling to another country. It's like you have peace on one side
and war on the other."
Moses Silberman, an Israeli Jew and
electrical engineering major at CSUF,
can attest to more amicable relations
between Palestinians and Jews in other
parts of ihe country. Silberman grew up
in the suburb of Kiriat Bialik, halfway
between Haifa and Akko.
"Israel is not what you see on T.V.,"
he said. "All you see is the negative
Insight
News
things. Bui children go io school and
people go io ihcir jobs like anywhere
else.
"It's just a country with problems like
any other country."
Silberman described a relationship
between Palestinians and Jews in this
area where ihc two groups work in the
same factories, buy each others wares
in the city markets and generally get
along with litde ethnic tension.
"In the occupied territories, things
don't work well together but inside,
there aren't that many problems."
Silberman said. "In some places, Palestinians work for or wiih Israelis and
ihcy got along very well, especially in
Tel Aviv or Akko. They just live together and nothing happens."
Momjian said in modem cities like
Tel Aviv, pop. 317,000, private enterprise is encouraged for both Jews and
Palestinians, who both strive for economic security, and ethnic disputes arc
not much of a problem.
Bul in the West Bank or Gaza Strip,
business is not encouraged and the region is economically underdeveloped.
She added that even if people wanted io
open a business, they wouldn't have the
money and this economic frustration
contributes to unrest
Nafid Abourish, a CSUF graduate,
has lived on both sides of the fence.
Raised on a Palestinian refugee camp
on the beach of the Gaza Strip, Abourish
said during his teens he used to travel up
to Tel Aviv for summer work in a shoe
factory.
"I goi along with Israelis fine there,"
he said. 'The only problem is that they
ofien give Palestinians the lesser jobs
they don't want todo." Abo'irish added
he had no choice but lo travel inio Israel
for work because everything has been
closed down in Gaza.
Yet Abourish also saw ihc crude side
of Israeli occupational rule in the Gaza
Strip during his youth, just after the Six
Days War. He said although he was
only 7 years old, he remembered being
rounded up with oiher families at night
and being forced from his hometown of
Ashdod io the camp in Gaza.
He also told the story of his older
brother who was arrested and taken by
Israeli soldiers in 1969 and remained in
jail for 5 years. After his return, he said
his brother told him gruesome stories of
Israeli prisons, where Palestinians would
be lined up and two Israeli soldiers
would hit them in their bare backs wiih
their machine guns.
Abourish said not much has changed
since then. During a visit lo Gaza in
1991, he said a curfew was enforced for
a full 10 days of his stay where Palestinians could not leave their homes all day
or night
Nazzal referred to equally harsh military rule in ihe West Bank. "This is
occupational rule. Soldiers don't care if
you are guilty or not"
Future prospects
"I think ihe new generation wants to
have peace," said Momjian. She added
thai despite the difficulties, she has an
attachment to Jerusalem.
"Even though there is war. I want to
go back. I want to help the Palestinians.
I'd love to see peace." Momjian is skeptical about United Nations sponsored
peace talks starting up again.
"I strongly believe that [Palestinians]
should unite before peace negotiations,"
she said. "I don't think they have one
solid voice right now. One party wants
the whole of Israel... one wants an independent West Bank."
She said she thinks eventually Palestinians in ihe West Bank and Gaza Strip
will be granted an autonomous government to oversee their own affairs, but
still remain under the aegis of Israel.
"[Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin is
coming up wiih new solutions. He wants
to let the Palestinians have their own
government and control their own finances."
Abourish said, "Down the road. 1
would like to sec my land [in Ashdod]
back— my grandfather's land back. It
is not right for [Israelis] to have all of
these rights in this land when I have
"I would go back to Israel and live
with Israelis, if I was granted the same
civil rights as other citizens."
Silberman added, "It looks like a peace
will come quicker with the new government ihat with the Likud [party] before
because now Israelis are more willing
to ulk. It sounds like talks will go faster
that they used to, but who knows."
"Israel is not
what you see
on T.V. It's just
a country with
problems like
any other
country."
—Moses
Silberman
THE
POST OFFICE
ALTERNATIVE
You can trust the experts at
Mail Boxes Etc'
to handle your postal,
business or communication
needs in over 1.600
neighborhood locations.
FAX
D
COPES
STAMPS
OVERNIGHT
AIR
UPS Authorized Shipping Outlet
I MAO. BCKES ETC
Tfree copies "J
■ Buy one copy. g« one free.
■ Limit 100 per ..Mjtoroer |
" on SVi x U or 8": % 1*» -
I white bond I
J ~7034N. Cedar Av?..^    |
■      Fresno. CA 93720 *
^■■■■■■■■rf
Congratulations Seniors!
from
PLAZA APARTMENr
Your Home Away From Home
Complete move-in now only $400
No application fee!      *£ V r
Corner of Cedar & Barstow 431-8122
-SAE-
Good luck during finals.
Have a good summer.
See vou next semester!
Sunridge Townhouses
2 Bdrm 1 1/2 Bath & 3 Bdrm 2 1/2 Bath
• Washer/Dryer avcllcblo • Garages avaUaMe
• Fireplace* • Swimming Pool
• Tennis a Basketball Courts      • Jacuzzi
• Club House • Walking Distance To School
Starting At $460
STUDENT DISCOUNTS
Call 294-8012
1
HYPER HAIR
your family Hair Care Center
Men, Women & Children
$6.00   reg. 8.00
$25.00 reg. 35.00
Spiral $40.00 reg. 50.00
FlalTop $7.95 reg. 9.00
Fro.t $10.00 reg. 50.00+
Weave        $40.00 reg 50.00^
No appointment necessary
2794 Willow, Suite#103
Cornerof Gettysburg & Will
(209)291-5242
PES
-gaiY-nag"-
eads and More
|| You Create It
We Finish It
■   6421  North Blackstone •  (209) 261-2208   I
M®dl$t®rrQn®®n Restaurant
Authentic Lebanese Cuisine
463/ North Fresno of Gettysburg • (209) 226-7856 • VIS/t and MIC
"1
ft     t    r—-—---—
T chicken"
KABOB
!   Special Large PtoteWiih
Rice Pilaf And Salad
I  $3.99 w/cuopon
^  Expires May 20
I VEGETARIAN PLATE
j  $4.99 w/ coupon
■   Includes Salad. Pita bread.
Falafcl, Grape Leaves
Hum mos and Spinach
Expires May 20
ri^ifToAsf"1!
!   CHICKEN  !
With Rice Pilaf
And Salad
I $ 3.99 w/ coupon |
Expires May 20