COU
thursday, november 1 , 1 973
lincoln, nebraska vol. 97 no. 37
Arab, Israeli students urge Middle East pact
By Nancy Stohs
Arab and Israeli students at UNL may
be 6,000 miles from the tanks and fighter
bombers, but they don't lack verbal
ammunition when it comes to the
Mideast crisis.
Homer Sambar, 25, a graduate student
in physics, said he hasn't been home to
Haifa, Israel for more than four years. He
is UNL's only native Israeli student. He
said that he is a pacifist.
Rod Hermes, 23, graduate computer
science student from Bagdad, Iraq, said
he'd trust Radio Israel reports on his
shortwave radio before American
television networks for objective Mideast
news coverage.
These and other students and faculty
interviewed said renewed fighting in early
October didn't surprise them. They said
only compromise can end this conflict
and future outbreaks. They agreed
America's press hasn't presented the
entire picture.
"It had to happen because of the
stalemate after the 1967 war," Sambar
said. Jewish-Arab tension, which he's
lived around for 21 years, is as old as the
Biblical story of David and Goliath, he
said.
According to Hermes and graduate
agronomy student Bashir Al Ithawi, also
of Bagdad, which side initiated the
attacks this time is irrelevant.
"Who started the war in '67? Hermes
said. "Who started it in 48?"
Electrical engineering post-doctoral
fell ow Rasheed Azzan, 28, of Cairo,
Egypt, said Israel practices "silent
agression" by continuing to occupy Arab
lands.
Sambar said he thought Israel
launched the fighting to prod the Arabs
into peace negotiations, or to prove that
if they refused to negotiate, "we (Israel)
can conquer their lands."
"So long as they (Israelis) know they
can beat us, they try to stop us any way
they like. They want to punish us and
then bring us to peace. What kind of
peace is that? That's just success of
power. The more they beat us, the more
we'll never give up," Hermes said.
In two and one-half years at UNL, he
said he has learned the American image of
Arabs: uncivilized, revengeful and
arrogant. "Nobody asks us why we're
fighting," he said.
He and Al-lthawi said the real issue
isn't territory, but rights denied by the
Israeli government to 1.5 million
displaced Palestinians forced to live in
shacks and tents in the desert.
"If the Jews have a right to Palestine,
why not the Palestinians?" Hermes said.
"We're not attacking or defending, we're
liberating. It's our land."
"I very strongly believe no country
should get one square yard of territory as
gain for a war. That in itself is the basis
for another war," Azzan said.
According to Sambar, "The Arabs
aren't losing anything by not gaining this
piece of land (Palestine)."
He said he sees the war as "two dogs
fighting over one bone," with the only
solution to divide it.
Sambar said that compromise
wouldn't occur for another 20-40 years.
He pointed to a new youth movement
in Israel which is beginning to oppose
what he called the "politicians politics"
regarding the war. 'The young people
believe we have to cross the barriers
between cultures and religions and
compromise," he said.
, "I've experienced the friendliness of
the Arabs in Israel," he said. "I know we
can coexist and live peacefully. So why
can't it happen on a larger scale?" Sambar
said.
Students on both sides said they
opposed Soviet and U.S. intervention.
"If they'd left us alone a long time
ago, we'd have had peace now," Hermes
said.
Sambar said the two powers should
apply pressure on both sides to negotiate
peace, but definitely should not send
troops.
The United Nations plan to send
peacekeeping forces is a good idea, but
probably will be ineffective, according to
the students.
Azzan said troops could bring only a
"short freezing over of a hot problem."
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's
presence in the Mideast may
psychologically induce talks there,
according to Sambar.
Since last month's fighting broke out,
Hermes said UNL's Arab students have
tried to keep better informed by meeting
to listen to shortwave radio broadcasts
and discuss the war.
Hermes said the U.S. news media
don't report all the military details, such
as losses and don't interview directly
enough Arab sources.
"No one can force you to be
pro-Arab," he said, "but just don't lie."
Sambar agreed the press was probably
biased, but said he thought Arabs were
reluctant to ta.,s to American newsmen.
None of the Arabs interviewed said
they'd encountered any real problems
here for being Arab. Azzan said in four
years he has learned to live in a pro-Israel
country.
Both sides said they doubted peace
would come to the Mideast in the near
future. "There may be a cessation of
fighting," Sambar said, "but that's not
peace."
"The Arabs are more hopeful about a
solution than any other people. We love
peace. We know its value. But we won't
accept peace that brings no justice,"
Hermes said.
All three Arabs said if necessary they
would return home to fight, but said they
didn't think they would be.
r.
English debaters criticize fltt.
dry American debate style
By Jane Owens
"Revolting."
"Atrocious."
"Not even fun."
That's how two English debaters
described the American style of debate.
According to Daniel Thomas Hardy and
James Parker, recent graduates of the
University of Kent, Canterbury, England,
the purpose of English debate is to entertain
an audience.
Visiting Lincoln to challenge two UNL
debaters, Hardy and Parker contend the
American style of debate is too formal and
only deals with dry farts.
"English debate involves more rhetoric
and insults to your opponent," Parker said.
"We don't use file cards, and the outcome
(of the debate) is determined by audience
reaction."
"The English audience can even call out
heckles and asks for points of information
while you're debating," Haidy said.
Parker and Hardy said they are prepared
to debate on 10 questions during their tour.
They allow iheir American opponents to
select from among the topics.
"So far one third of our debates have
been on the isolation question," Parker said,
"but our list includes a couple of humorous
topics as well."
"We've even argued the affirmative on
'The Ideal Wife is a Dumb Blonde' at some
Quaker college," Hardy said. "That night the
audience, which was about 75 per cent male,
ended the debate with a roaring chauvinistic
cheer."
Commenting on American university
students, Hardy said, "They seem to have a
different attitude on life as a result of having
to pay for their education." Most students
receive full grants to attend English
universities, he said.
Another difference, Parker said, is that
England has a "better organized left-wing
student movement. About 50 per cent of all
British university students belong to political
movements "of some extraction," he said.
Both Hardy and Parker said they belong
to Britain's Conservative Party.
Their UNL debate is scheduled for live
broadcast Thursday at 8 p.m. on the
Nebraska Educational Television Network.
UNL and Nebraska Wesleyan University
students from the economics, political
science and English departments will
participate in a question period during the
broadcast.
The 50 year-old Speech Communication
Assoc. Committee on International
Discussion and Debate is sponsoi ing Parker
and Hardy's Amer ican tour.
r fJ f.
1 1
- 71 11 1
m
V J
iitfi ' i TUMnnnrar it hi r'tm -j v' rtrrwMMinaif mirm -rnimnHniMnnrfnninii-iwiMyiiiMi imiiihii unmrniiiiirrMiiwni
Photo by Gall f-o;la
English debaters Daniel Hardy (left) and James
Parker
Halloween, housekeeping occupy ASUN
President Ann Henry handed out
trick-or-treat lollipops at the door,
Sens. Emilie Brown and Karen
Martinson, dressed in Halloween
costumes, swore in two new senators
from the business college and the
ASUN Senate Wednesday evening took
care of its housekeeping duties.
Senators heard reports from
committee chairmen and Henry and
passed a resolution supporting the
Nov. 18 Delta Gamma Farmhouse; chili
feed.
At Sen. Dave Thurber's suggestion,
a report from ASUN's representative
to the Council on Student Life (CSL)
was placed on the agenda. Henry is a
CSL member.
Henry reported on CSL's statement
on the open meeting policy and
attempted to answer senators'
questions about it.
She said complaints about open
meeting policies, according to the
statement, may be taken to CSL.
When asked where complaints about
CSL were to be taken, Henry replied
that she wasn't sure which campus
organization would handle complaints.
Henry also asked that senators plan
to attend a hearing of the Academic
Planning Committee the week after
Thanksgiving.
Henry, the only student on the
committee, said the group is trying to
establish goals and priorities regarding
curriculum in the face of further
budget reductions and an estimated $1
million deficit next year.
"The concern of the committee is
what do we cut and what programs do
you not start in the face of cuts," she
said.
Henry emphasized the importance
of presenting student opinion before a
committee composed primarily of
faculty and staff memlxjrs.
Sen. Doug Johnson, a member of
the legislative review committee, asked
that the senate request acting director
of libraries Dr. A.C. Breckenridge to
appear before the senate in two weeks.
Johnson requested that the director
report on the status of ASUN
recommendations for library
improvement and whether those
recommendations are being
implemented.
He also reported on his own
resolution which deals with raising
funds for the Child Care Center. His
ad hoc committee is planning an "all
university kegger" to raise funds for
the center.