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The Charlotte Jewish News ■ January 2002 - Page 27 Opinion/Editorial haron’s Choices/Arafat’s Options Ken Stein Has the present dire situation r Israelis and Palestinians ■come so desperate that only nerican intervention can shape a ase-fire? Is there a way for afat to extricate himself from physical and political cul-de- c which has narrowed around n in recent days? Or will Israel ntinue to surround Palestinian ies, keeping the Palestinians nned in for an indeterminate riod of time only allowing food, ?dical, and other necessary sup- es into the Palestinian areas? ill Arafat depart office uncere- oniouusly or be killed, leaving Palestinian political community a state of civil turmoil as suc- ssion to a new regime emerges? Is Sharon interested in deposing i disposing of Arafat? So far the I iswer is no. In an interview in I ?bruary 2001, Sharon said, “It is n i up to us who the Palestinians e ‘ ct to lead them, [Arafat] is the I m we must talk to ... gradual |)lutions should be pursued ... the St phase [with the Palestinians a state of non-belligerency to followed by the gradual devel- ment of a relationship.” In an iterview published at the end of ovember, Sharon remarked, “I lieve I can reach a settlement [ vith the Palestinians] ... I believe I atn one of the few who can bring I IS about. Peace is almost as itnful as war because you must ake painful concessions. ... [In] e final analysis, when we get rough the testing chapter of a ilm life without terror and with operation, be it in the economic id other spheres, we will reach a Solution in which there is a iPalestinian state. But it must be a "^lestinian state by agreement and ■i^'must be demilitarized with the ftings We need to exist.” ‘ In the past, when moments of political urgency demanded action, Arafat chose to preserve WNET (Continued from page 13) •iplina Room of the Public brary of Charlotte and [ecklenburg County, in partner- ip with the Charlotte Jewish siorical Society, a CAJE project. Why May 2002? May will be first annual History and riiage Month Celebration in the arlotte region, a joint marketing bit coordinated by the Charlotte gional History Consortium, to se public awareness about the wbnderful history and heritage ■ sources available all across our ■ :a. CAJE and its project the Ciarlotte Jewish Historical fl >ciety are longstanding members 0 the Consortium, which was funded almost a decade ago when e ; local history museums, her- ge sites, archives and historical ■ sources banded together. The I onth-long celebration will kick- 0 F at Taste of Charlotte on the first ■ iekend in May, and will con- 0 Jde at a community-wide event ■ 1 the first weekend in June. There 1 11 be a family-friendly “Queen C larlotte’s Treasure Hunt” activity P ssport that kids and parents may & mplete during the month by vis- ig participating sites, such as ■ r exhibit here in the Galleries at i:: J. The national list of WNET/ 1 lirieen Heritage: Civilization and I e Jews grant recipients includes: 1. University of Alabama, I Jptartment of Religious Studies, 1 iscaloosa, AL. himself and the status of the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. His strong preference is not to expand defini tive cleavages in the Palestinian community, which a sincerely prolonged crack-down would inevitably create. With the Bush Administration confiscating assets of Hamas in the U.S. and unequiv ocally declaring Hamas a “mur derous terrorist” organization, Arafat is left with an ever smaller middle ground on which to maneuver. “Arafat does not want to show to his people that after 15 months of uprising against Israel he is capitulating to either American pres sure or Israeli threats.” And by stating that as a sover eign nation Israel has the right to defend itself, the Bush Administration estimated that such overt positioning against Arafat will not adversely effect the success of the international coali tion established to destroy the ter rorist network in Afghanistan. Rightly or wrongly, like it or not, less than three months after the assault on America, Arafat and Hamas are surrounded like Osama bin-Laden, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. In its own way and for its own purposes, actions of Hamas have allowed Israel to join active ly the coalition against terrorism. American foreign policy favors establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel; President Bush called for one. Secretary of State Powell requested an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and two senior U.S. envoys were dispatched to the area to try yet again to mediate another cease-fire. Key disagree ment exists over the term “ending occupation.” The U.S., Europeans, and Israelis define it as all or some of the West Bank, Gaza, and por tions of east Jerusalem; many Palestinians, including Hamas and other Arabs, use the term “ending occupation” as a geographic equivalent for the end of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation state. They believe that Israel ille gitimately occupies all the land of Palestine. No matter what Arafat has said in the past, he is being forced to choose which definition of “ending occupation” it will be: some or all of Palestine. The presence of American envoys in Jerusalem gives Arafat an available escape from the clos ing vise. Arafat does not want to show to his people that after 15 months of uprising against Israel he is capitulating to either American pressure or Israeli threats. While he waits, perhaps to be bailed out one more time by Arab, Islamic and European lead ers, Israel may have already made contacts with potential Palestinian successors. Israel, like the United States, realizes that ultimately the Palestinian and Israeli people will have to share the land west of the Jordan River in separate states, regardless of whether Arafat is the first president of that state or not. O In Atlanta, Georgia, Professor Kenneth W. Stein teaches Middle Eastern history and political sci ence at Emory University. He is the author of Heroic Diplomacy: Sadat, Kissinger, Begin, Carter and the Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace (Routledge, 1999). For Microsoft’s Encaria Encyclopedia, Stein is the author of six entries dealing with the Arab-Israeli con flict, including the 1973 Arab- Israeli War, the PLO, and Hamas. 2. Arkansas Institute of Holy Land Studies, Sherwood, AR. 3. Kehilla Community Synagogue, Berkeley, CA. 4. Agency for Jewish Education, San Diego, CA. 5. Bureau of Jewish Education, San Francisco, CA. 6. Greater Hartford Jewish Community Center, West Hartford, CT. 7. Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center, Boca Raton, FL. 8. Board of Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago, Northbrook, IL. 9. Jewish Foundation of the Quad Cities, Rock Island, IL. 10. Bureau of Jewish Education, Getzville, NY. 11. Conference of Jewish Organizations of Nassau County, Syosset, NY. 12. Jewish Federation of Broome County, Vestal, NY. 13. Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring, Michigan District, Oak Park, MI. 14. Temple Israel Libraries and Media Center, West Bloomfield, MI. 15. St. Louis Jewish Community Center, St. Louis, MO. 16. Carolina Agency for Jewish Education, Charlotte, NC. 17. Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, Cherry Hill, NJ. 18. Jewish Community Center, Albuquerque, NM. 19. WGTE Public Broad casting, Toledo, OH. 20. UAHC Camp Harlan, Lehighton, PA. 21. Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. 22. Bureau of Jewish Education of Rhode Island, Providence, RI. 23. Barshop Jewish Community Center, San Antonio, TX. 24. KWBU/Baylor University, Waco, TX. In addition to the lecture by Dr. Goldfield on the evening of May 9, there will be a demonstration of the interactive DVD-ROM and its many features that complement the video series. The nine-hour video series has continued to be a popu lar item in the CAJE Resource Center over the years, and many families and schools borrow the videos on a regular basis. Heritage: Civilization and the Jews trace the history of the Jewish people from biblical times to the present, telling their story as part of the broader history of Western Civilization. Now enhanced with new content bringing the epic saga up to pre sent day. Heritage is a portrait of the Jewish experience with a scope and depth unlikely to be surpassed. The grant program is sponsored by WNET/Thirteen, the Educa tional Broadcasting Corporation and the Charles H. Revson Foundation, all of New York City. Watch future issues of The Charlotte Jewish News for more information about the lecture and demonstration on May 9, about the upcoming photo exhibit, and about History and Heritage month in the Charlotte region. Or contact CAJE at 704-944-6780 or email lsstein@vnet.net. 0 The View from Israel How Much Democracy Can Israel Afford? By Carl Alpert Haifa - Israel is proud of the fact that it is a democracy - the only democracy in the Middle East. Its government is elected by majority vote of its citizens, and from time to time the government is changed by the wishes of the electorate. But the definition of democracy includes far more than merely change of government. It embraces a broad range of person al liberties, protection of privacy, freedom for expression of varying opinions, the right of the public to be kept informed, freedom to come and go, freedom to practice religion and more. What happens to these free doms when a country is at war, and national security may dictate certain abridgement or restrictions of these rights? Such questions are being asked in Israel these days. Most immediate case in question is the decision by the Knesset to strip M.K. Azmi Bishara of his parliamentary immunity so that he may face prosecution for making speeches in Syria praising the ter rorist Hizbollah. His reaction: He was democratically elected to the Knesset by a large number of vot ers whose views he represents. He was exercising his right in a democracy. There are other public actions that have for some time been ques tioned here. The torture of prison ers to extract information from them has long been regarded as typical of repressive dictatorial regimes. Yet Israeli military authorities justify such action in special circumstances, as when they receive reliable information that a major terrorist attack is about to be carried out, and the prisoner in hand has information which would enable Israel to anticipate, act and prevent the attack. That is known as the tick ing bomb. Does a country that is faced with enemies both within and without, and is in effect in a perpetual state of war, have the right to suspend the application of certain democratic axioms? Should the press/television/ Save the Date! radio, which in the long run deter mine what the public knows, and therefore to a large extent help for mulate public opinion, provide a platform for enemies of Israel to present their views, which may be antagonistic to what most consider the best interests of Israel? But in the name of democracy? It must be added that the media here to an extent follow the democratic line, despite much criticism. The press here is subject to mil itary censorship, but it is applied only to matters affecting immedi ate security, and the press is to a large degree responsible and self- censored on such matters. Emotions play an important and colorful role in our lives. To what extent can the government seek to control emotions when expressed in public, rallies and demonstra tions at which provocative plac ards aie displayed, and pictured on television screens? The issues may be political, economic, social, but it is not forgotten here that such uncontrolled expressions of emo tion led to the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin. If incite ment is banned, who determines what constitutes incitement, with out trespassing on treasured prin ciples of the right of the individual to hold opinions and give expres sion to them? Restriction of private rights may take other forms as well. There are many who complain that municipal ordinances that forbid the sale of pork products, or ban public transport on the Sabbath constitute an invasion of the rights of the individual citizen, who should be left free to make his own choice in such matters. This has led to wide ranging discussion as to whether the concept of a Jewish state is in conflict with the definition of a democratic state. It would not be correct to say that the country is torn by dissen sion on these issues, but such mat ters are being given thoughtful consideration in many quarters. O Carl Alpert may be reached by e-mail at: alpert@techunix.tech- nion.ac.il. Games Food Contests Activity Booths i and much more! Sunday, February 24,2002 Noon 'til 3 PM at Shalom Park Purim Carnival
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