I EDITORIAL

Needing A Partner

These have been the most troubled weeks of Israeli occupation
of the last 20 years, and just when it seems that the Arab uprisings
in Gaza and the West Bank (or Judea and Samaria) are about to
subside, they have taken a turn for the worse. Most recent was the
death of a Palestinian at the hands of a Jewish settler.
As this week's articles indicate, Jews in Israel and the Diaspora
must come to understand that there has been a significant change
in the Arab-Israel equation. The status quo has been broken and
the Palestinians have nothing to lose by keeping up the violence
against Israel. Israel cannot continue to believe that the uprisings
are only a problem of "public order' They reach far deeper, to the
inevitable result of occupation — whether it has been at the hands
of the Egyptians (1948-1967) or the Israelis (since 1967).
At least Israelis are agonizing over those alternatives. The same
cannot be said for any form of Arab leadership. With the exception
of Egyptian President Sadat, they have consistently refused to
negotiate with Israel in a political solution to the Palestinian
problem.
Israel could at least score some public relations points by offer-
ing to return control of Gaza to Egypt. Let the world hear Cairo's
inevitable refusal. Then the process could be repeated by offering
control to Jordan.
Israel must let it be known that she is prepared to negotiate.
Who, though, will come forward to negotiate with her?

Consul General Brosh. Ann Arbor police and other security officers
present were derelict in their mandate to assure that Brosh's ap-
pearance would not be marred by disturbances. They should have
guaranteed the Consul's right to speak by escorting the unruly from
the hall.
Distressing, too, was the participation of Jews, including New
Jewish Agenda, in the anti-Israel melee. If Agenda's intent was on-
ly to criticize Israel's handling of Palestinian unrest, by throwing
in their lot with an anti-Israel and Jew-hating coalition Agenda only
gave further proof to its many critics that it is more pro-Palestinian
than it is pro-Jewish.
Saddest, though, were the young Jewish students who also took
up the cudgel against Israel. Perhaps if they had not been so quick
to jump into the fray they would have had time to do some homework
on current events and Jewish history.
They might have realized that they were not locking arms with
democrats who are incensed with a particular Israeli policy, but with
maximalists who do not even recognize Jewish nationhood and who
spurn face-to-face negotiations with Jews.
The video footage we have seen in recent weeks has troubled all
of us. But there is certainly more to the Palestinian riots than what
we see on television and the remedy for Jewish confusion does not
lie in the self-defeating embrace of the PLO and the derogation of
Israel.

Morality Play

The current act in the Arab-Israeli drama was re-enacted as a
kind of morality play in Ann Arbor Monday night. The occasion was
the appearance of Israel Consul General Zvi Brosh at the Michigan
Union. It sparked an anti-Israel demonstration sponsored by an
assortment of groups.
All the familiar elements were present in Monday's performance:
the evil Israeli authority figure, the aggrieved Arabs. This sophomoric
exercise in art imitating life would have been laughable had it not
called into question the right of free speech, if so many Jews had
not joined in the Israel-bashing and if the whole affair had not been
so emblematic of the intransigent Arab response to Jewish
nationhood.
Demonstrators certainly have a right to demonstrate, but
speakers also have a right to speak and to be heard. Arab students,
who have no such rights in their lands of origin, sought to subvert
American free speech guarantees in their attempts to shout down

LETTERS

Breira, NJA
Bankruptcy

"There is nothing new
under the sun" (Koheleth).
Nothing is new about the
New Jewish Agenda. It's the
same bankrupt Breira group.
Breira (choice), alternative to
eliminate the Jewish State.
The propoganda of misinfor-
mation is but "vanity of
vanities, all is vanity"
(Koheleth).
It's unfortunate that this
group equates Israel's treat-
ment of the Arabs in Judea,
Samaria and Gaza to South
Africa's policy. This is the big
lie they feed the people and
encourage the Arabs to

6

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1988

murder more innocent Jews
as they did all the years prior
to their fire bombing and rock
throwing since December .. .

Shlomo Micznik
Southfield

Middle East
History Lesson

The writers of the Jan. 1
letter, "The Status Quo Is Not
Viable," by the Steering Com-
mittee, Labor Zionists
Alliance, would not have writ-
ten that letter if they had first
studied the history of the
Middle East. To say "We sup-
port a peaceful and
democratic Israel that

recognizes and is recognized
by all people in the region" is
supporting the impossible
dream. Even Arafat knows
that. That's why he advocates
it.
Can anyone accuse Israel of
not recognizing its neighbors
— Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and
Jordan with their borders of
1948? Why did they then at-
tack Israel in 1967?
Let's look at the attitudes of
the other countries in the
area. All came into their pre-
sent borders after World War
I. Even Egypt, which existed
since biblical times, did not
possess the Sinai Desert
before that time. Since their
borders were imposed upon
them by the Allies, who broke

,

up the Ottoman Empire, the
area is a hotbed of discontent
and rebellion against the
West . . .
How can Israel expect
recognition from countries
with such records?

Matilda Post
Midland

Life Goes On
As Well

Our family is spending a
sabbatical year here in
Jerusalem. I know from
listening to the BBC, the
Voice of America and Kol
Yisrael news braodcasts that
Israel is once again being
hurt by the world press. It has

been tense here, especially in
Jerusalem.
However, not once have we
considered staying home from
any activity that we had
planned . . . Our children
(ages 14 and 17) have not
missed a minute of school.
Three of us go up to the Mt.
Scopus campus of the Hebrew
University six days a week
through the Sheikh Jarrah
Arab neighborhood. We at-
tended Chanukah parties all
over Jerusalem. And we
visited friends in Beersheva
who took us on a tour all over
the Negev during the worst
days of the recent events .. .

Janet Abramson
Jerusalem

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