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38
INBRIEF
A BEGINNING IN THE
MIDDLEEASf
by Stanley
R.
Rader
1
n the January
1
February issue
of QUEST/78, Editor Robert
Shnayerson states in his letter
to new readers: " Every article in
QUEST is chosen on the premise
that in sorne way it reflects the
courage to take risks and try one's
best even if the net result is fail–
ure."
Nowhere is such courage better
reflected than in the bold Mideast
peace initiative of Egyptian Presi–
dent Anwar Sadat. The entire
world has been excited about the
possibility of peace for that trou–
bled region ever since President
Sadat 's historie visit severa!
months ago to Jerusalem-an
event that was brought into the
homes of hundreds of millions of
people around the globe through
the miracle of satellite communi–
cations and television .
Since President Sadat's visit to
Israel, Prime Minister Begin has
reciprocated with a visit to Egypt.
Thus for the first time in almost 30
years of war, hostility, hatred and
terror, the leaders of the Egyptian
and Israelí states have been meet–
ing tace to tace, discussing their
mutual problems and seeking a
settlement of issues that have kept
Israel and the Arab nations in a
state of unbearable tension for
three decades and have sparked
bloody armed conflict in 1948,
1956, 1967 and 1973.
The negotiations, however,
have not been easy. and recent
setbacks have served to bring ini–
tially high public expectations
down to a more realistic level. lt
may be months before we see
what ultimately comes of the im–
portant beginning made by Sadat.
Should Sadat fail in his attempt
to negotiate an overall Arab- lsraeli
peace, sorne have suggested that
a bilateral agreement between
Egypt and Israel, backed by the
United States and possibly Saudi
Arabia, lran and Jordan, may
eventually materialize-despite the
opposition of the Soviets and
sorne of the more radical states,
such as lraq, Algeria and Libya. lt
is almost certain that the United
States, under such circumstances,
would emerge as a great winner if
such a result is produced-a win–
ner in the sense that it will remain
the dominant major power in the
area and thus exercise influence,
indirectly at least. over the vast oil
resources which remain so vital to
the United States and the rest of
the Western world.
Among the knotty problems for
the Egyptian and Israelí negotia–
tors to wrestle with is the sensitiva
Palestine issue, which probably is
the single most difficult obstacle to
overcome. President Carter has
again reminded the lsrael is of the
"legitimate rights" of the Palestin–
ian people to participate in their
destiny, but at this time it is impos–
sible to predict what solution will
be forthcoming.
On one hand, President Sadat
publ icly continues to call for an
independent Palestinian state en–
compassing the Gaza Strip and
the West Bank of Jordan. lnsiders
say he would be willing to con–
sider a West Bank entity again
linked to Jordan, its former land–
lord, thereby excluding the PLO
and its head, Yasir Arafat.
On the other hand, Prime Minis–
ter Begin has proposed a qualified
self-rule in the West Bank and
Gaza rather than self-determina-
tion (the military security of the
region remaining in Israelí hands).
Perhaps the self-rule proposal
would be a mere transitional mea–
sure which would leave open the
possibility in the foreseeabte fu–
ture of self-determination for the
Palestinian peopte in that area.
President Sadat surely deserves
the "Man-of-the-Year" distinction
conferred upon him by
Time
magazine severa! months ago .
Perhaps it would have been even
more fitting that Prime Minister
Begin share that honor with him.
In any event, OUEST/78, in its
January/February issue, reminds
us of the potential of every human
being for new beginnings. In its
section on " Beginnings," Editors
Morris and Jones state: " In 1977,
the year of QUEST's beginning,
we were struck by the number of
other beginnings around us .
Maybe it was a case of seeing the
world through the lens of our own
condition. But the phenomenon
seemed bigger than that. All year.
unusual numbers of friends and
relativas struck out in new direc–
tions, starting new jobs and new
relationships, exploring fresh
fields in one or more areas of their
lives. And a similar spirit prevails
in the public realm. Of course
public events always unreel in a
kind of perpetua! becoming. But
the year seemed special in the
kind and quality of the sprouts that
appeared from its soil , harbingers
of greater things to come."
Although those words were writ–
ten many weeks before President
Sadat's historie visit to Jerusalem
and the Israelí people-many
weeks before that visit brought
lsrael's dream of trade, open bor–
ders and recognition as a state a
little closer to reality-certainly no
beginning could surpass this com–
bined effort of President Sadat
and Prime Minister Begin to make
their own personal dreams and
their own vision a reality and a
blessing for the people of their re–
spective countries and for the
world as a whole.
o
The
PLAIN TRUTH March 1978