friday, april 10, 1981
lincoln, nebraska vol. 106, no. 60
Speaker says treaty makes peace
a possibility
By Tricia Waters
Two years after the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty was
signed, people are incorrectly calling it a disaster ami over
emphasizing its negative aspects, said Dr. Chaim Shakcd,
professor of Middle Eastern history at the Shiloah Center,
Tel Aviv, Israel.
Shaked spoke to about 230 people Thursday morning
in the Sheldon Art Gallery's audtoriiim . The speech was
part of UNL's Middle l-ast Symposium financed through
grants and corporate donations.
"The Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement is a qualitative
leap forward for Middle I. astern histors." Shaked said.
"We should not take it foi granted. We should not ovei
emphasie the negative aspects."
lie said people should regard peace as a separate entity
and not just a termination of warfare. Peace has led to
significant changes in perception. Shaked said.
The Egypt ian-lsraeli treaty shows the impossibility
of peace is possible and provides hope for future
"impossible" things to happen, he said.
f or the first time in almost 1 00 years, the dispute
became a normal conflict between groups. Shaked said.
The normalization occurred through recognition that
"all protagonists are legitimate protagonists."
The peace treaty was also significant for using coin
promise as a legitimate way to solve conflicts, rather than
violence, he said.
Shaked said some persons in the Middle Last still ad
here to the "a!! or nothing cause." and as long as they do.
not much progress can be made.
Another breakthrough for peace lies in the communi
cation between people, he said. The Middle hast treaty
started as a fledgling dialogue between leaders, but it now
encompasses the people of the nations, he said.
Three basic changes during the 1 1 70s made the peace
tieaty possible, Shaked said. One was the relative stability
tound in the Middle Last in the ll)70s compared with the
strife of the three previous decades, he said.
A growing overemphasis of local patriotism led to con
flicts emerging between Arab countries, he said. An ex
ample of the increasingly "poly-centric" Middle Last
emerged in the 80s with the Iran-Iraq war. Shaked said.
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Doily Nebraskan photo
Chris Leigh races against the w ind Thursday afternoon attempting to get her abstract rendition of 'The Twin
Towers' airborne. Leigh and about 40 students had an almost perfect afternoon flying their unusual kites, as
part of an Architecture 236 class. The students construct kites to resemble buildings. Leigh's kite disintegrat
ed moments after this photo was taken because of stress.
He said peace also became possible through the change
in perceptions and the recognition that the solution of
a country's problems lies within the country.
Shaked said he also must refer to the negative side
of the peace tieaty.
"The Israeli-Lgyptian peace is still inherently fragile
and weak." he said.
The continued lack of American ci edibility in the
Middle Last threatens peace there. Shaked said. Danger
also lies in the routinization of peace by sticking to its
technical aspects.
Other facts thai would endanger Middle Last peace
are assassinat ions of leaders.
"I'ndotibtedly. peace for Lgypl ami Israel has been a
shock. "'he said. "'I his shock icquircs verv pain I ul adjust
ment and it will be a long time before the parties involved
will adjust ."
Vietnam War vets
begin petition drive
to keep federal funds
By I). Lric Ivircher
A state senator who fought in Vietnam was the first to
sign a petition designed to publicize the plight of veterans
and convince the Reagan administration to leave uncut
or even expand programs for Vietnam veterans.
If enough Nebraska veterans sign below Sen. John
DeCamp's names, copies of the petition will be presented
to state representatives and Congress, LNL sociology
graduate student Richard Noddings said at a Thursday
Mess conference at the State Capitol. Noddings is a
Vietnam Veterans Club officer and an American Viet
nam Veterans Association member. .
The petition asks the government to provide medical
care for veterans exposed to Agent Orange, a defoliant
used in Vietnam that has been associated with chronic
health problems and birth defects. It also asks for an in
vestigation into reports that Vietnamese still hold soldiers
missing in action, and for an extension of G.I. benefits.
The petition drive is part of a national movement.
Noddings said. Congress will receive petition copies during
a march scheduled for May 22-26, he said.
The veteran's club has permission to start an outreach
program but funds for the program have been frozen
by Reagan's administration, Noddings said. With veterans'
programs on the "Reagan chopping block," veterans feel
unsupported, he said.
Another problem Vietnam veterans experience is the
public's dislike of the war and horror about the actions
of the military there.
"The public doesn't want to know about it," Noddings
said.
He said that veterans of other wars won't talk about
Vietnam. Noddings said World War II veterans at VFW
halls tell war stories, but when a Vietnam veteran starts
to tell about his war, other veterans say. "We don't
want to hear any more."
Continued on Page 6
Speaker: U.S. Middle East policy in shambles
By Ward W. Triplet t III
Both sides of the Israeli-Arab conflict
have been betrayed by vague goals of
victory, and neither side knows what to
make of the other, a professor of interna
tional politics said Thursday.
Dr. Abdul Azizsaid of American Univer
sit School of International Politics spoke
on the troubles plaguing the Middle Last as
part of the Middle Last -Symposium.
Azizsaid chaired the first of six panel
discussions held at the Sheldon Art Gallery
Auditorium. Bela Vago of Israel and Iqbal
Ahmed from the Institute for Policy Stu
dies of Washington. D.C.. joined Azizsaid
for the discussion titled "Birth and Rebirth
of Nations in the Middle Last."
Noting that solid information is hard to
get from the region. Azizsaid said Ameri
cans need to broaden the conceptual form
ulation they have of the Middle Last.
Balance needed
"lo do this we need to seek a balance
between the Israelis and Arab nations.
Azizsaid said. "Lor me. it would include
three ingredients.
"f irst, the t inted States should take a
part in the development of common goals
for the countries. Second, we should have
a common appreciation of the threats we
see to peace, and last the development of
some joint program."
The threats Azizsaid said he was speak
ing of were not only communist interven
tion, but the erosion of hope, social injus
tice, and political occupation.
"These are the diseases that can hurt the
Middle East the most now." Azizsaid said.
He said military resources may well
suppress and aggravate the system.
Vago. chairman of Holocaust Studies at
the University of Haifa in Israel, spoke
mainly on Zionism and the effects of the
Holocaust. He quoted several Israeli histor
ians and professors in his presentation and
indicated that the holocaust was the lead
ing cause to the current state of Israel.
Holocaust is Israel's matrix
"A well-known historian of France
called the French Revolution the matrix of
French history. I have adopted the view
that the Holocaust is the matrix of Israel."
Vago said.
Others have objected to the idea, saying,
Israel would have formed without the
stigma of the holocaust, he said.
But Vago said the holocaust is impor
tant in the Israeli national consciousness.
"Six million lives paid for this land.
That is why it is so important to main
tain." he said.
Ahmed said at' the outset of his presen
tation that much of what he had to say
would displease the audience.
"I cannot help but regard that a Pale
stinian or Arab, could not be here,"
Ahmed began. "For I cannot tell you ex
actly how a Palestinian feels and that
should be heard as well."
Ahmed said that the Zionist Jews have
been unwilling to see the sorrow of a kin
dred people who have paid the price of
w hat Vago calls the restoration of a biblical
state.
Impasse is fear
''There is an impasse between the Arab
and Israeli nations that consists of two
countries' fear, and each is unable to cope
with the other's fear." Ahmed said.
"Do not forget the complexity of the
situation."
Ahmed also criticized the Camp David
accords, saying they had absolutely
nothing to offer Palestinians in occupied
territory or unoccupied territory.
'Twenty-four hours after the accords
were signed. Israel announced 20 new
Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
"Only Sadat thought by relieving the
fears of a few Jewish people the expansion
would end," he added.
With what Ahmed called the inevitable
collapse of the accords, affirmation of the
worst distrust Egypt and Israel had for
each other would occur.
"I have made a special study into the
American policy with the Middle East, and
it is in absolute shambles," Ahmed said.
"An absolute failure.
"Failure by the United States is always
followed with military action. Mr. Muskie
said there were 95.000 American troops
around the region, and the White House is
now saying something about 350.000. The
situation is dangerous.
"Five months ago. I asked Muskie. 'Do
you still think rapid deployment is still
necessary?' He said it was not needed, and
it is not force that will solve the situation.
"Yesterday I was completely surprised
at what he told people here," he added.
This adds to the basic American con
fusion on the situation. Ahmed said.
"I would beg of students to please in
form yourself on the Middle East." he
said. "There is much misinformation
floating about, but it is important that the
entire situation is understood."