Israeli-Palestinian conflict weighs on the minds of Princetonians

As fighting between Israelis and Palestinians raged during the past week, hopes for a Middle East peace agreement have faded among both citizens of the divided region and world leaders. Feelings among several students and faculty at the University are very much the same.

Israeli Amir Give'on '99, now a graduate student at the University, said he is frustrated by what he sees as a lack of willingness to make peace on the side of the Palestinians and Yasser Arafat. "There's a big awakening in Israel of people realizing that there might not be a partner in peace right now," he said.

"How can you make peace with someone who doesn't want to make peace?" he asked.

"There is a lot of anger toward the Palestinians and Yasser Arafat, with how he dealt with the situation," Give'on continued. "I'm not really sure if he wants peace or an agreement. But he likes to talk about it."

Though Give'on said he hopes to see an end to the conflict, he does not believe trading land for peace is beneficial for his nation. "We've made a lot of concessions, and we still get the same kind of treatment," he said. "What do they want? Do they want us all dead? Then obviously we'll pick up our guns and defend ourselves."

Hoossam Malek '01, a Syrian American, placed much of the blame on Israel for the continued violence. "Peace is in the hands of the Israelis, because they're in charge, in terms of force and resources," he said. "They shouldn't hide behind rhetoric."

Malek added that as long as Israel is far stronger than Arafat's Palestinian Authority, peace is unlikely. "[Palestinians] have always been treated unfairly and will continue to be if the power continuum doesn't shift," he said.

Worldwide support for Israel has waned recently, demonstrated most strikingly by last week's United Nations resolution condemning Israeli soldiers' "excessive" use of force against Palestinian rioters. As of yesterday, the bloody clashes had resulted in 91 deaths, all but five of which were Palestinians, according to The Associated Press.

Sherif Fahmy '01, who is from Egypt, said he believes most Arabs perceive the fighting as being unfair toward the Palestinians, who, he said, primarily use rocks while the Israeli army uses modern weaponry. "Most Arabs view the reaction of the Israeli army as extreme," Fahmy said. "We definitely sense some injustice going on."

Give'on acknowledged that the conflict has no simple solutions: "We're not angels in this situation." He added, however, that his nation's army — of which he is a veteran — was warranted in using such force. "A stone is not as deadly as a rifle, but it can be deadly. Soldiers would not shoot at civilians who were just throwing stones if they are not at risk."

Michael Doran, a University Near Eastern studies professor who will teach a class on the modern Middle East next semester, placed the blame equally on the shoulders of Arafat and Israel's prime minister, Ehud Barak.

"Both Barak and Arafat have recently behaved in ways that allowed the conflict to spiral out of control," Doran said.

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

He added, however, that for peace to be achieved, he believes the two leaders must stop bickering over who caused the current conflict and instead work together to end it. "Ultimately, the two sides have to recognize each other's rights," Doran said.

Fahmy underscored this point. "Both sides need to yield something," he said.

Doran said the peace process has been plagued by divisive forces on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides. "This situation requires both Barak and Arafat to rise above the enemies of peace on both sides, but they're not doing that," he said. "They're hiding behind them."

Malek said, regardless of the damage that has been done by the recent fighting, Palestinians and Israelis are only backtracking in their quest for peace by taking up weapons, whether it be rocks or machine guns. "Hopefully the violence will stop because nothing gets accomplished when people die," he said.