Ex-Israeli pres. tells of hopes for peace

Former Israeli President Chaim Herzog told a full audience at the University Museum's Harrison Auditorium last night that he hopes there will be lasting peace in the Middle East. Herzog, who was brought to campus by Connaissance and Hillel, gave a speech entitled "Peace in the Middle East?" The lecture began with an introduction by Political Science Professor Adam Garfinkle who gave a brief account of Herzog's life accomplishments, beginning with Herzog's birth in Belfast, Ireland, and poking fun at his British rather than Israeli accent. "Mr. Herzog will speak in English and I will continue a little bit in American," he said, responding to laughter from the crowd. Herzog's achievements range from performing a stint as director of Israeli military defense in 1959 to holding the position of Israel's sixth president for the past 10 years. Herzog began his speech with his version of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. "In 1948, Israel held out its hand to the Arab nations in a quest for peace," he said. "It was rejected and the Arab nations joined with the Palestinians on the road to tragedy." During the speech, Herzog made it clear that Israel has always wanted peace with its neighbors and has no desire to rule other people. "Our earnest hope is that the current peace process will succeed," Herzog said. Herzog also commented on U.S. involvement in the history of the conflict and now, in the peace process. "What is a matter of foreign policy to others, for us is a matter of existence," Herzog said. "Without United States' involvement there will be problems in making progress." He also described the opposition to peace Israel found with the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas. "Hamas, as well as extreme constituents in the PLO, are violently opposed to the peace process and Palestinian participation in it." He said Palestinians were never willing to accept less than one hundred percent in the past, but Herzog said he feels good about the peace accord recently signed. Herzog explained the details of the Declaration of Principles – commonly known as the Arab-Israeli peace plan – saying there will still be problems along the way. "It will be a long drawn out process with a good chance of ultimate success because people on both sides want it," he said. Herzog expressed his great hope for cooperation and the establishment of a prosperous Middle East economy and market system. "We can move towards economic cooperation," he said. "The wealth will be diverted from preparation for war to bettering life for the people."