Profs discuss year of Mideast peace

The first year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization was commemorated last night at the University. Assistant History Professor Beshara Doumani and Political Science Professor Ian Lustick spoke to a full audience in the Ben Franklin Room of Houston Hall, in a co-sponsored collaboration with Penn Hillel and the Penn Arab Student Society. In successive 20-minute speeches, both professors presented their views about current political attitudes in the Middle East. During his speech, Doumani drew from his recent experiences visiting the Middle East, specifically Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel -- including the Gaza Strip and occupied territories. "The political situation has changed, I think for the better," Doumani said. "There is now mutual recognition and negotiation instead of violence." Although the first initiative for peace has been taken, there is still much work to be accomplished, and compromises still need to be made by both the Israeli party and the PLO, Doumani added. "The real test will be if any real change [has occurred] in terms of people's lives, their jobs and democracy," he said. Lustick showed the audience a poster he encountered during his visit to Israel, as evidence of the fragile conditions in the region. The poster displayed an enlarged picture of PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat's head incased in a bull's eye with the word "murderer" emblazoned in both Hebrew and English. But Lustick, like Doumani, expressed optimism about the hopes for peace. He said a day will come soon when political compromise with the Palestinians would become routine. In his speech, he expressed the importance of compromise as well, explaining that the two sides need one another to succeed, and that they, Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, are all partners. When asked what he hope students learn from his speech, Lustick said he wants students to "appreciate how dramatic [the peace process] is -- that it is still fragile." Doumani said he hopes to "stress tolerance for people's views." Event coordinator Sara Weiss said she believes that "a good mix" of people from both sides of the debate attended the speech last night. "We thought about doing a joint effort, and the anniversary was a great idea for the event," said the College sophomore. "I am happy about how things went." Members of the audience shared equal enthusiasm for the speech. "Meetings like these are very constructive to the peace process," Wharton senior Farhang Mehregani said. College senior Seth Weinberg agreed. "It was very interesting in relation to the topic as a whole," he said. "[It] served as a reminder that this is still an important and unresolved issue."