From: tclock@orion.oac.uci.edu (Tim Clock)
Subject: Re: Peace Talks
Nntp-Posting-Host: orion.oac.uci.edu
Organization: University of California, Irvine
Lines: 47

In article <1993May15.020244.9629@news.columbia.edu> pgf5@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Peter Garfiel Freeman) writes:
>In article <2BF36F14.21492@news.service.uci.edu> tclock@orion.oac.uci.edu (Tim Clock) writes:
>>In article <1993May13.201441.23139@nysernet.org> astein@nysernet.org (Alan Stein) writes:
>>>It seems that, to keep the peace talks going, Israel has to keep
>>>making goodwill gesture after goodwill gesture, while Palestinian
>>>Arabs continue to go around hunting Jews.
>>
>>You *know* that putting something like this out on the newsgroup is *only*
>>going to generate flames, not discussion. Try adding some substance to
>>the issue of "gestures" you mentioned.
>>What is it you feel that Israel *has* offered as a "gesture"? What would
>>you (*realistically*) expect to see presented by the Arabs/Palestinians
>>in the way of "gesture"?
>
>Timbo, Israel has not been recognized as a state by the Arabs, except for
>Egypt, of course.  Isn't that  a gesture?  What has Israel offered?
>Well, it has been calling for peace talks for 45 years, asked for
>economic relations, and asked for diplomatic ties.  What else is there?
>Would you have Israel sacrifice its security?  Nay, I think not.
>
>Peace,
>Pete
>
Yea, I think not also. Israel's #1 issue is "Security" so *any* outcomes
of "negotiation" certainly need to address ISREAL'S perception of this
issue.

The problem is is defining (by "outsiders", by Israel, and by the Arabs
themselves) what is the #1 issue to the Arab side. Is it "Palestinian
statehood", is it that Israel as a state should not and must not be
allowed to exist, is it that the existence of a self-governing non-
muslim "state" in the "Islamic World" is intolerable...what? Just as
the dividing line between Israel-fighting-for-security and Israel-fighting-
to-expand is often hard to discern by "outsiders" (especially to the Arab 
world), so the rationale behind the Arab-struggle-to-undermine-Israel-in-
any-way could either be based on visceral rejectionism or a sense of being
wronged that still values peace, who knows which. 

Anyway, in these talks, what "gestures" would you think would be seen
by Israel as "substantial"?


--
Tim Clock                                   Ph.D./Graduate student
UCI  tel#: 714,8565361                      Department of Politics and Society
     fax#: 714,8568441                      University of California - Irvine
Home tel#: 714,8563446                      Irvine, CA 92717