The Tripod - Editor
Issue:
3/2/03
Accusatory Language Inappropriate in
Middle East Discussions
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to Professor Samuel
Kassow's letter of February 17 in which the author claims that the majority of
the blame for the violence in the Middle East belongs to Yasser Arafat.
I am in complete agreement with Professor Kassow that Chairman Arafat is
no longer effective in his role as leader to the Palestinian people. That said,
I find major fault with Professor Kassow's classification of Arafat as basically
a terrorist.
Arafat has in no way promoted or condoned the horrible
terrorist attacks against the Israeli people; Arafat no longer possesses the
control over his people to aggravate such attacks. To classify recent violence
against Israelis as equal to "13 9/11's" is both reckless and misleading.
The events of September 11 had such a profound impact on the United
States because they were so unexpected and symbolically detrimental. Sadly,
violence in Israel is constant, and although its regularity has a detrimental
effect on the Israeli psyche, the commonality of these events clearly divides
them from September 11.
In a neutral interpretation, it must be accepted
that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is at the very least equally responsible for
the violence in the Middle East as is Chairman Arafat. It was Sharon's visit to
the Temple Mount in September of 2000 that sparked the "Second Intifada," an
event that proved Sharon's interest in peace to be minimal. If the Israeli
people are serious about creating peace, they should take a stand against
Sharon's policy of attacking Palestinian districts in retaliation for terrorist
attacks.
Because the Palestinians lack solid leadership capable of
suppressing the whims of the "Arabic street," Israel has to take the lead in
efforts for peace and not intensify tensions by attacking Palestinian civilians
and bulldozing homes.
The Israeli people had the opportunity of taking
that stand in the January 2003 election when Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna,
who has almost single-handedly created peace in the Israeli city of Haifa, ran
against Sharon. Unfortunately, Sharon's militant protectionism played better
with Israeli voters than Mitzna's plea for peace.
I admit that I am as
pro-Palestinian as Professor Kassow is pro-Israeli, but I have come to accept
the fact that prejudiced finger pointing will solve nothing in the Middle East.
What is needed is open and honest debate so that solutions to the problem can be
reached, not accusatory language that only promotes argument and augments
disunity.
Although I am not claiming that the Palestinian Authority
isn't corrupt, ineffective, and leaderless, attempting to place the entire
burden of blame on Yasser Arafat is both incorrect and irresponsible. I am
shocked to see that a man who is intelligent enough to teach at Trinity College
cannot realize this fact himself.
Sincerely,
Christopher Elias
'06