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Solidifying A Region
With Peaceful Overtones
Peace between Israel and Jordan came quietly
this week after years of behind-the-scenes se-
cret rendezvous all over the world.
There wasn't that same intensity, that same
uncertainty we all knew in 1979 when Men-
achem Begin and Anwar Sadat bridged their dif-
ferences at Camp David with the help of
President Jimmy Carter.
That peace with Egypt came just six years af-
ter the Yom Kippur War, an event that almost
brought Israel to its knees. There were people
on both sides of the border who lost family mem-
bers and friends. Some of the fighters were in-
volved in the drama of peace.
Peace with Jordan in 1994 is no less impor-
tant, but the drama, perhaps, isn't there even
though just four years ago Jordan backed Iraq's
failed Persian Gulf War effort. It wasn't so much
the memories of the Sadat-Begin peace that
brought Jordan and Israel to the table as a re-
alization that regional cooperation was urgent
in areas such as water conservation, the envi-
ronment, business and industry. If a dramatic
handshake with Yassir Arafat was possible, the
foundations of an Israeli-Jordanian peace was
even more plausible.
Also, the peace between Israel and Jordan is
a result of 20 years of talks. It's comparable to a
couple living together that long and then decid-
ing to sign a marriage contract.
Now it's time to use the businesslike attitude
of regionalism, not fanaticism, to further peace
prospects between Israel and Syria. It's not just
a matter of bloodshed anymore between nations.
Jordan aggressively brings another dimension
of peace to the region with Israel. These dimen-
sions are important foundations to the future
generations. It's good business to make peace.
The alternative has proven too costly, in terms
of dollars and, most importantly, lives.
Finding A Solution
For The Hamas Problem
TH E D E TRO I T JE W IS H N E WS
The world is an unpredictable and messy place
— and perhaps no more so than in the Middle
East. The same week that a fatal terrorist bomb
exploded in Jerusalem, the Nobel Peace Prize was
shared by Yassir Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shi-
mon Peres. Two days after a soldier who had been
kidnapped by Hamas was killed in a rescue at-
tempt, Israel and Jordan drafted a peace treaty.
Barely 48 hours later on Tuesday evening, a bomb
exploded in central Tel Aviv, killing at least 22.
For now, the fly in the ointment of the Middle
East is Hamas, the intractable Islamic funda-
mentalist terrorist group which has taken credit
for the three most recent terrorist episodes in
Israel. Hamas is at odds with Arafat, whom it has
denounced as a traitor. It is committed to the de-
struction of Israel, the same commitment made
by Arafat at the height of his terrorist activities.
Hamas is a threat to Israel, the fledgling Pales-
tinian Authority in Gaza and Jericho — and to
whatever peace that might finally emerge. The
4
choice for Israel is an uncomfortable one: Again
seal its borders with the West Bank. When it did
this a year ago, terrorist violence in Israel almost
disappeared. But that could mean economic hard-
ship for those Palestinians who work in Israel
proper — and for whom economics is a bulwark
against the entreaties of groups such as llamas,
which preys on desperation and frustration.
Or, it could open the borders and work in tan-
dem with Mr. Arafat's Palestinian Authority to
root out llamas, while developing a stable, self-
sufficient infrastructure in the West Bank and
Gaza. There is one more alternative: The Unit-
ed Nations, which not has been heard from re-
cently, could send in forces to augment
Palestinian police and Israeli border patrols.
They may not have any better luck than those
currently pursuing venues to peace, but at least
the world body would have been on record — in
word and deed — as attempting to end the con-
flict.
Letters
Rewarding Rabin
Just As Ludicrous
has he displayed any ability to
control terrorist activity. What
I find incomprehensible in your
editorial, however, is your tacit
endorsement of Rabin and Peres
editorial,
"Why
Jewish
News
The
receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
Arafat Choice Isn't Right" (Oct. If you really believe what you say,
14 edition) does a good job of ex- then the idea of giving a peace
plaining the absurdity of giving prize to people like Rabin and
Arafat the Nobel Peace Prize.
Peres, who have helped arm the
As you correctly state, Mr.
likes of Arafat and his comrades,
Arafat has not shown that he can
coexist peacefully with Israel, nor is just as ludicrous.
There are many Jewish lead-
ers in Detroit and throughout the
world who recognize that the
treaty has already done more
harm than good. The deaths of
over 70 Jews, Arafat's unwilling-
ness to hand over even one person
responsible for the killings, and
his unwillingness and inability to
abrogate the PLO charter to de-
stroy Israel are reasons enough to
condemn the policies of Rabin.
Letters
And yet we hear the deafening
silence of those same Jewish
leaders who believe in their
hearts that Rabin and Peres are
leading the Jewish people down
a road to disaster.
Recently, the Jewish Commu-
nity Council began an ambitious
program to persuade Jews to in-
vest their money in Gaza, with
the hope that this will further the
cause of peace. Again, many Jew-
ish leaders who realize how
ridiculous thig is, and what a
waste of Jewish resources, have
chosen to remain silent.
This past Friday, Rabin jeop-
ardized the life of every single
Jew in the world, and especial-
ly the lives of our brethren in Is-
rael, when he told the press that
he had considered a prisoner ex-
change to free Nachshon Wax-
man. Again Jewish leaders who
realized the implication of his
words chose to remain silent.
All Jews throughout the world
were shattered by the brutal
murder of Sgt. Waxman. At the
same time, we were inspired by
the incredible courage of the
group of commandos who put
their lives on the line for the sake
of a fellow Jew. These were
young men who were not con-
cerned how their actions would
affect themselves or their fami-
lies. They were obsessed with one
thought: the need to save the life
of a fellow Jew. If Jewish leaders
would have a fraction of the ded-
ication of these young men, they
would not be afraid to proclaim
what they believe.
Let us hope that the death of
Nachshon Waxman and the
heroism of the Jewish comman-
dos will give all of us the courage
to say what needs to be said and
not to be afraid of any perceived
consequences. At stake is noth-
ing less than the survival of the
Jewish state.
Rabbi Elimeilech Silberberg
West Bloomfield
Candidate Abraham
Strong On Israel
In her article, "Senate Forum Of-
fers Insight," (Oct. 14) Jennifer
Finer reports candidate Bob
Carr's view of Jerusalem quite
accurately. However, her re-
portage of comments on the same
subject by candidate Spencer
Abraham was, to put it politely,
an exercise in "opinion by omis-
sion."
Mr. Abraham's comment on
Jerusalem was as follows:
"As a Christian, I have deep
feelings with respect to
Jerusalem. People of all faiths
should have access to their holy
places there. Jerusalem should
remain an undivided city. Any
change in the status quo of
Jerusalem should be only as ne-
gotiated by the concerned par-
ties. Neither the United States,
the United Nations nor any oth-
er body should put any pressure
on the negotiating parties."
In other words, the negotiat-
ing principles, which have been
stated by both the governments
of the United States and Israel,
are expressed by candidate
Spence Abraham.
Paul Borman
Bloomfield Village
Edward C. Levy Jr.
Bloomfield Hills
Glossing Over
Engler's Failures
I was disappointed at your arti-
cle in the Sept. 30 issue of The
Jewish News regarding "Charter
Schools Under Fire."
The most important issue that
you failed to address was that
Gov. John Engler continually
supports these charter schools
that are in fact a ruse for putting
right wing fundamentalist reli-
gion in the classroom. What you
also failed to address was that
Howard Wolpe, the first Jewish
candidate for governor since Rep.
Sander Levin, has repeatedly
pledged that public money will
not go to finance private,
parochial education.
Perhaps The Jewish News
would spend a few moments in
its articles about Jewish candi-
dates discussing Mr. Wolpe's can-
didacy instead of glossing over
Mr. Engler's failures.
Gerald H. Acker
Huntingion Woods
Letters Policy
Letters must be typewritten,
double-spaced, and include the
name, home address, daytime
phone number and signature
of the writer.