Panelists Debate Palestinians' Role In Mideast Peace

Israeli and Palestinian panelists disagreed sharply last night over the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in eventual Middle East peace negotiations.

Both Israeli panelists--Mordechai Tamarkin, a Tel Aviv University professor, and Arie Eliav, a former member of the Israeli Knesset and self-styled "dove"--agreed during the Institute of Politics discussion that Israeli settlements along the West Bank were detrimental to the peace process.

They said, however, that members of the PLO should agree to recognize Israel's existence before the parties reach a settlement.

"The very charter of the PLO denies our rights to statehood," Tamarkin said.

Equal Rights

Palestinians are "entitled to equal rights and selfdetermination and need equal footing in forums discussing the issue of a Palestinian state," Nasser Aruri, spokesman for the Palestine Congress of North America, said.

"It is very doubtful that Israel can last another ten years if its pathological commitment to violence continues," Fawaz Turki, a Palestinian author said, as some members of the audience hissed loudly.

The large audience frequently interupted the speakers, prompting moderator Roger Fisher '43, Williston Professor of Law, to call for order half a dozen times. Partisan members of the audience shouted down questioners several times, and on one occasion a policeman had to restrain an angry man from shouting his opinion. Turki, who also said the Palestinians "would be totally self-deceiving if we didn't see the Camp David accords as totally divorced from reality," drew the sharpest reaction from the crowd and from fellow panelists.

Metaphysical

Alan M. Dershowitz, professor of Law, called Turki a "metaphysical cheerleader" and said, "We must isolate people like Mr. Turki--get them out of the dialogue, and get some people willing to discuss the issue. No one in this room really believes Israel or Palestine will go away."

"No Palestinian was asked to come to Camp David," Aruri said, adding that Israel and the United States must recognize that only by dealing with Palestinians will their policies "become compatible with durable peace."

Responsive

"We don't want a peace which would contain the seeds of its own demise," Tamarkin said, adding that if Palestinians seek reconciliation, "they'll find a majority of Israelis more responsive."

Eliav prescribed a more moderate policy, saying, "The cure of the Middle Eastern disease is talking with all realistic Palestinians, including those of the PLO," even if doing so creates "bitterness."

Tahseen Basheer, a former adviser to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, criticized his fellow panelists, saying, "With this kind of rhetoric, we will never reach peace."

He urged moderation in Israeli policies for the West Bank and Gaza Strip, saying, "The Israelis shouldn't become conquerers." Most Israelis desire peace, even with concessions to Palestinians, he added