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42
or on the basis of religion because our
relígion is based on the Jewísh tradi–
tion."
Both sides daim they can
potentialty
live peacefully together in the same
corner of the earth. "Personally I think
that there
is
a possibility for co–
existence here," said Colonel Joseph
Caleff, a spokesman for the Israel De–
fense Forces. Mr. Nusseibeh ecboed
this idea when he told us, "There was
never any reason why there should be
any conflict between us and the Jews."
What of the Future?
Both peoples express even greater
optinUsm for the future. When asked
"Do you feel that the majority of the
Arab people would really be happier if
Israel ceased to exist ?" Mr. Nusseibeh
replied: "Ceased to exist?
1
think there
is a great future awaíting the Arabs and
the Jews in this arca once they forget
these política! divergencies between
them. However this is very much in the
future.
" In the meantime, we're not askíng
that the lsraelis should cease to exist
as a política! entity. All we ask is that
they sbould withdraw from the territory
which they occupy in order to give us
an opportunity to exist. lt isn't a case
of them not existing. lt's a case of our
not existing now, as a political entity
!"
Weizman, when asked if he foresaw
a time when Israel could join with
various Arab states in a Middle
East Common Market, answered, "Def–
initely. However," he continued, "it
might take 25 years."
But
why
25 years? Why not now?
Mr. Nussiebeh may have given us the
answer when he stated: "In spite of
the fightíng we stiU see no reason why
Arabs and Jews should not be living
together,
under the 1·ight conditions."
Unfortunately Israelí and Arab con–
cepts concerning "ríght conditions" are
miles apart. Gíven 25 years or so it is
fdt that one side or the other or both
might
sufficiently relent so that an
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The differences between the two sides
in a nutshell are these: The Arabs
(or at least the moderates among them)
say that if Israel
first
withdraws from
aU the territories it occupied in the Six
Day War - thereby showing it is not
The
PLAIN TRUTH
expansionist-minded - peace will be
the result. The Arabs will
then
be pre–
pared to accept Israel's presence.
The Israelí government on the other
hand has said that if the Arabs
first
make real peace - then Israel will
withdraw from at least sorne of the
occupied arca. After all, the Jews say,
wíthout a peace settlement, withdrawal
to pre-war bordees only means a returo
to conditions as they were before the
war - hardly peaceful times.
The Israelis bad oríginally insisted
on face to face negotiations between the
two sídes
first
(which to the Arabs
means tacit recognition of Israel). They
later agreed to indirect negotiations
through
U.
N. mediator Gunar Jarring
as well as a partial withdrawal in the
Sinai provided Egyptian troops would
not cross the Suez Canal. Egypt rejected
this idea, looking upon it as a denial
of its sovereignty in an area it con–
siders an integral part of Egypt.
No Trust From Either Side
All this política! maneuvering boils
down to a simple reality. Neither side
trusts the other. Both sides want peace
but not at the expense of weakeniog
their position vis-a-vis the other side.
And after what has happened to both
peoples over the last decades, it is not
hard to see why.
On a low hill to the west of Jeru–
salem are found a series of buildings
and monuments making up what is
called in Hebrew, Yad Vashem. This
is the commemoration authority estab–
lished by the Jewish people to remem–
ber and document the physical suffer–
ing and annihilation of one third of
all Jews in what Hitler called the
"final solution to the Jewish problem."
We had the opportunity to speak,
on site, with Gideon Hausner, a mem–
ber of Israel's Knesset (Parliament)
and formerly the Attorney-General of
Israel. He was the prosecuting attorney
at the triai of Adoif
Eichmann.
Haus–
ner had sorne significant observations
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"f1n-a~
solution" regarding the Jewish people.
"This produced such a deep wound
that we have not yet been healed of
it- over a generation after the event.
"There are today 20 million more
Japanese than there were at the time
Ocrober 1971
of Pearl Harbor. There are 40 million
more Russians than on the day when
Hitler invaded Russia. There are 15
million more Germans for all their
losses. The only nation which still lin–
gers behind even numerically are the
Jews. We still count in the whole world
15 million people as compared to
17%
mi ll ion with which we entered World
War Il.
"This produced such a deep trauma
that it is not and probably will not be
overcome, neither in this generation nor
in the next generations. We were a
victim of brutality, unbridled brutality,
with the whole world watching. No
one offering asylum, no one lifting a
finger to assist us. Israel was not yet
in existence, so we had no means of
our own to help our brothers in
Europe.
"We have learned our lesson from
what happened in the 20th century, not
in a remote past; in the heart of Europe,
not in some dark jungle. All this hap–
pened with the world watcbing on.
"Now, of course, we would like to
see at long last some peace coming to
our people. However, this must be a
peace which would assure us that there
will be no further 'final solutions.' Be–
fore the Six Day War we heard this on
all sides here that the Arabs are going
to finish what Hitler left unlinished.
Well, it sounded familiar when they
spoke about it because we knew it was
done once. We won't be able to survive
anything similar.
"That is why in all our thinking and
political motivation we have to secure
ourselves now, physical conditions,
territorial conditions. These must not
be conducive to further aggressions,
tempting people into thinking that it's
easy to massacre Jews, and assuming
it's easy to put an end to them. That's
why we would like to have sorne sort
of a secure existence, something which
as a matter of fact every nation in the
world has
gotten
for
itseif.
We are
entitled to it too."
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hearts of Israelis of all walks of life.
Almost every week-day Yad Vashem
is visited by bus loads of Israelí school
children to learn how many of their
own relatives carne to horrible deatbs
avd to see exhibits of the privations