OPINION CONTENTS Jordan-ls-Palestine Argument Is Invalid MITCHELL BARD T here are historical facts and there are po- litical realities. The two are sometimes confused, as in the case of friends of Israel who respond to Palesti- nian demands for a state by asserting that they already have one called Jordan. This argument is politically irrele- vant; worse yet, its implica- tions are potentially disastrous for Israel. It should be discarded. It is a historical fact that Jordan was a part of Palestine until it was partitioned by the British in 1921. It is also true that the majority of the population in Jordan today is Palestinian and that both the Palestinians (including the PLO) and King Hussein have admitted that • Jordan is Palestine in numerous statements. That having been said, however, the political reality Consider the threat that would be posed by a Palestinian state in Jordan. OP— is that the Palestinians out- side Jordan are unwilling to accept that territory as a substitute for the homeland they believe they are entitled to on the West Bank; that is, everything west of the Jordan River, including Israel. If one takes the PLO at its word, it is clear that the Palestinians' objective is to establish a state in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, then "liberate" the remaining "oc- cupied territories," first those to the west, then those to the east. The people who argue that Jordan is Palestine are usually the first to point out the PLO's program, yet, con- tradictorily, insist that the Palestinians should be con- tent with "the state" they already have. In addition, though Hus- sein has acknowledged that Jordan is Palestine, he has never made a statement that could be construed as accep- tance of the notion that Jor- dan is a Palestinian state. It is a Hashemite Kingdom and Hussein is not about to ab- dicate to satisfy the national aspirations of the Palestinians. There is a more serious ob- jection, however, to the use of the Jordan-is-Palestine argu- ment. Perhaps the proponents of this view are so sure that the Palestinians will never ac- cept it that they have never considered the implications if Jordan became a Palestinian state. Let me suggest a few. It is ironic that the pro- ponents of this argument are people who are the most vehe- ment opponents of a Palesti- nian state on the West Bank and harbor the greatest fear of the PLO. Consider, however, the threat that would be posed by a Palesti- nian state in Jordan: We know that the Palesti- nians would not be content to live under Hussein's rule; therefore, the likelihood would be the PLO state Israel's friends fear would be established in Jordan rather than the West Bank. Instead of a small, militarily weak and economically unviable state wedged between the powerful Israeli and Jorda- nian armies, the new Palesti- nian state would be the size of Jordan with a population equal to Israel's. Such a state would have all the resources of present day Jordan at its disposal and it would be far more difficult for Israel to constrain that state's capaci- ty to build up its military forces. After all, Israel can do little now to prevent Hussein from building up his forces. King Hussein may not have signed a peace treaty with Israel, but the truth is he has accepted Israel's existence. Hussein made a mistake in 1967 which he paid for, but he has showed no sign of repeating his error. In other words, Israel has de facto peace with Jordan. Moreover, - Hussein's "moderation" serves as a brake against the aggressive regime of Hafez Assad in- Syria. If the PLO takes over, the unofficial "peace" bet- ween Israel and Jordan would end and the Syrians would have a new ally in their plan for Israel's destruction. To some extent I have laid out the worst-case scenario, but that is what Israel's friends normally do in every other instance. For some reason, they have failed to do so when it comes to the sug- gestion that the Palestinians establish a state in Jordan. The Jordan-is-Palestine argument is good for scoring points in historical debates, but it is of no use to anyone interested in a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that will insure Israel's security. 111 CLOSE-UP 24 The Reminiscent ELIZABETH KAPLAN Four Detroiters recall the Yiddish theater and radio. Our cover: Gussie (Wasserman) Wedgle photographed by Glenn Triest. SPORTS 51 On The Ball 51 MIKE ROSENBAUM Former baseball umpire Dave Dashow remains active as a sports collector. ON THE AIR Peter Pan's Magic 54 ARTHUR MAGIDA Tonight's broadcast of Mary Martin's classic will tingle the emotions. ENTERTAINMENT 57 Was (Not Was) Is MIKE ROSENBAUM Two Oak Park "brothers" and their band have achieved popular success. 57 BUSINESS 69 The Brain Trust KIMBERLY LIFTON An Ann Arbor company's Israeli unit prepares a scientific breakthrough. SINGLE LIFE Through The Classifieds 79 DEBBIE L. SKLAR Personal ads help some Detroiters find Ms. or Mr. Right. 82 LIFESTYLES German Scholar 69 CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ More awards find their way to Wayne State's Guy Stern. DEPARTMENTS 30 32 34 41 42 46 Inside Washington Notebook Media Monitor Community Synago'gues Education 48 50 84 86 88 112 On Campus Crossword Teens Engagements Births Obituaries CANDLELIGHTING 79 March 24, 1989 6:31 p.m. Sabbath ends March 25 7:36 p.m. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 7