The viewpoint war: until when?

It has frequently been the case that the viewpoints page of the Daily has been the battleground for many issues, but most heatedly and most noticeably, the Arab-Israeli conflict. Anyone who has been reading the page since the semester began would have noticed it. The last viewpoint I read with regards to the conflict made a call to the Arab community leaders on this campus, and so I feel obliged to respond to the call, even if my response may not please those who made it.

There is a war being waged on the Palestinian people. To be a Palestinian in Palestine today is a crime. Palestinians are being besieged in their houses, not even allowed to go to school. The 35 year old occupation of Gaza and the West Bank has reached its pinnacle, with the Israeli government and army trying to destroy any instance of Palestinian civilian life.

Everyday somebody is killed in Palestine. Everyday there is an act of aggression on the Palestinian people, and yet we hear no mention of this in the pathetic excuse for a free media we have in the US. It seems amazing to me that certain viewpoints demand that the Palestinians, and the leaders of the Arab community on this campus, denounce the Palestinian Authority and its policies.

I did not write this viewpoint with any intention of defending the Palestinian Authority or Yassir Arafat, but how on earth do Americans expect the Palestinians to have a public debate over policy where they lack such a debate in their own country? Ever since the tragic events of Sept. 11, no one dares to question what the government of this country is trying to do to the world.

How do Americans, who still drive two cars and still enjoy a standard of living higher than anyone else in the world, expect the Palestinians to self-criticize and re-evaluate when the only thought that goes through a Palestinian mind is: will I live to see tomorrow? While American security is threatened, Americans still go to school, they still move freely in their country, they are not in shortage of humanitarian needs. They do not face the threat of being killed while walking in the middle of the street, yet still in their moment of danger they rally around their elected leader to guide them through one of the most difficult times of their history.

Why should the Palestinians be any different? Why do Americans and Israelis continue to apply different standards to themselves than they do to Palestinians? Is it truly the case, as George Orwell might say, that "All humans are equal, but some are more equal than others?"

There is no doubt in my mind that the Israeli occupation of Palestine can not be sustained. As their occupation of South Lebanon was met with failure, so will it be in Palestine. In the meanwhile though, the collective punishment policies of house confiscations, house demolitions, sieges, closures, road blocks, extra-judicial killings and more continue to torment and terrorize the entire Palestinian population on a regular basis. The mere fact that Tufts students can justify and support such measures shows that education and civilization of mankind have a long way to go.

In my third year at Tufts, I am witnessing what is the most peculiar intensification of the war of words between Arabs and Jews on campus. Even though I pride myself on the relations that Arab and Jewish student groups have been able to sustain at the most difficult of times, it is not the first time that I hear such arrogant and ignorant remarks such as "The Palestinian people are the problem for peace in the Middle East."

The developments that have henceforth ensued have struck me as excessive. Every semester, the Arab community is faced with provocative and inflammatory remarks, and every semester, the Arab community tries to respond in ways which it sees fit. We are always put on the defensive, and we are always trying to justify our position, a position that is by all means unenviable, and to that I say no more. No more putting words in our mouth, no more attacking us and forcing us to defend ourselves, and no more trying to portray a heinous picture of us to the Tufts community.

Abdul-Wahab Kayyali is a junior majoring in international relations and economics. He is the President of the Arab Students Association.