COMMUNITY VIEWS

Searching For Truth And Respect

Editor; note: The Jewish News has
strived to present differing views relative
to news coverage out of the Afideast,
Terry Ahwal is part of metro Detroit's
Arab American community.

in the last three weeks. The images of
these slain soldiers will stay with me
for the rest of my life. My family,
friends and my community are sin-
cerely in pain over the brutal killings.

Nothing, justifies these

.killings, Nothing! Please
ear Friends: When
know that the people who
the Jewish News
commit these acts are con-
asked me to write
sidered the enemy of the
an article about the
Palestinian people.
latest conflict between the
As I was writing this, a
Palestinians and the Israelis, I
friend stopped by to ask
struggled as to how to put
what I thought of the latest
into words my pain of what
developments. More than
is happening and what might
anything I wanted to retreat
happen. But after much
TERRY AHWAL and change the subject; it's
thought, I realized that this
Special to
too excruciating. What is
would afford me an opportu-
happening in Ramallah is
nity to explain my views and
the Jewish News
not a distant news story. It
reach out to the Jewish com-
is about my family and
munity.
friends who are left, unarmed and
Before I continue, I must deplore
unprotected. Pointing the blame and
the violence committed against the
spinning the story is not going to
seven Israelis who were brutally killed
make Israel safe or the Palestinians
free.

D

Terry Ahwal of Canton was born in
the village of Ramallah, located in the
West Bank. She is a coordinator for Pro-
ject Hope there and an executive mem-
ber of the Ramallah Federation. She also
is a member of Seeds of Peace, which
builds bridges of understanding between
Jewish and Arab youth. She is a former
director of the American Arab Anti-Dis-
crimination Committee.

Not Without Compassion
When the dust settles, everyone will
pay the price for the death of innocent
people. Many times, I wanted to
shout: "How can you believe that we
send our children to die"? Have we
been dehumanized to the level that
you can't see our pain? Do you really
believe that we are heartless and with-

out compassion? If not, how can you
justify the killing of 123 people and
the injury of 2,500? Do you really
believe that the life of a Palestinian
child is not as important as an Israeli
child? HOW dare you claim that chil-
dren are dying because We send them
to die?
What we want today is to be able
to go to sleep without our homes
being bombed. Our children should
have the right to live without Israeli
guns pointed at them. Parents
should have the right to bury their
children without Israeli soldiers
sniping at them. - After 53 years of
misery, we deserve a moment of
tranquility. More than anything, we
deserve to be free from the shackles
of occupation.
When my family and I lived in
Palestine, we were not spared the
humiliation imposed on its people.
Israel took my mother's house, beat
my father and burned my cousin to
death. With all this, I, like many of
my brothers and sisters from Palestine,
don't harbor hate toward Israel.

Land For Peace

As for the failure of the peace process,
for the sake of peace, we abandoned
78.percent of the land with the hope
of establishing a state in 22 percent.
We hoped by now, we would be in a
state of peace where we both prosper

and live in peace and harmony.
For Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Barak, that was not enough. He
wanted the Palestinians to give up
10 percent more. If the Palestinians
have the upper hand, would you
have accepted the deal? Would you
be satisfied with proposed ghettos
for millions of people to live? Take a
moment and picture yourself as a
Palestinian confined to your cities,
with no access to the world? Would
you think it is fair?
For peace to be successful, it has to
be equal and just. U.S. President John
F. Kennedy said, "If men and women
are in chains, anywhere in the world,
then freedom is endangered every-
where."
For too long, Palestinians have lived
in chains, pulled and pushed into
their demise by the state of Israel.
Bound with chains, most Palestinians
are reaching out for minimum justice
and they are told "no can do." I am
certain that the Israeli will have similar
claims. No one has a patent on vic-
timization.
If we truly want peace, we don't
need an honest broker. We don't
need mediators; all we need is the
truth and respect for each other. The
Palestinian people recognize Israel;
they recognize its need for security.
All they need is the opportunity to
exist in peace. ❑

Blaming The Right For Being Right

umphalism." Rather, the Jew-
he editorial
ish
News prefers the prepos-
response of the
terous
Arab lie that the Pales-
Jewish News to
tinian
rioting
was simply
the current crisis
"born
in
frustration
and
in Israel is disturbing. The
anger"
—
a
proposition
right
paper and many of those
out of Hanan Ashrawi's well
somehow still on the left
thumbed playbook. What is
still "don't get it." It was cer-
burning
Israeli flags, parading
tainly grand of the editors
Palestinian
ones, showing off
to admit, "We are as guilty
JER OME S.
hands dripping in Israeli
as the others who have been
KA UFMAN
blood, hanging mutilated
hoping since the Oslo
Sp ecial to
Israeli soldiers from outside
Accords of 1993 that Israel
the Je wish News
windows, erasing Israel from
had a true partner in peace.
their maps and textbooks, if
We were wrong . . ."
not "Palestinian triumphal-
("Breaking The Peace," Oct.
ism?" Is this simply an understandable
13, page 39)
response to economic frustration, as
Fine. But, then the admission of
the
Arabs, the Jewish left and the Jew-
guilt becomes illogically blurred. The
would have us deluded into
ish
News
editors disagree with guest columnist
believing?
Daniel Pipes when Pipes declares that
The following week's editorial ("A
the violence signals "Palestinian tri-
Silence At The Center," Oct. 20, page
43) is equally schizophrenic. Some-
Jerome S. Kaufman is a Bloomfield
how, it is the fault of the right that
Hills resident.

T

11/3
2000

38

It's questionable
that lack of peace
will cause American
Jews to lose interest
in Israel.

there is no peace; and the right is also
blamed for having no solution — that
is, at least, one satisfactory to the left.
Another questionable conclusion is
that the lack of peace will cause
"American Jews to lose interest in
Israel as a source of their identity."
American Jews, with their "unprece-
dented security and prosperity," won't
be able to "explore" their "cultural and
religious identity" and bask in the
"sunny heat of Masada, in the milk

and honey of the resorts and in the
solemnity of the Western Wall." What
a tragedy for American Jews while our
Israeli brethren are only bleeding to
death!
Finally, the dubious editorial con-
clusion — "We continue to believe
that peace is both necessary and
inevitable." Swell, but peace with
whom? Switzerland? The so-called
peace process, as conceived by the left
and with which they harassed us for
the last seven years, is dead. Cannot
the local Jewish leadership and their
organizations stop from belaboring us
with their endless parade of "peace
process" shills as speakers? Stop pro-
moting your deservedly bankrupt
agenda. Finally comprehend, in your
heart of hearts, that the Arabs have no
desire for peace with Israel?
Instead, genuinely promote the
concept of a strong, self-reliant Israel
desperately in need of help defending
the few dunams that it has left. ri

