Reporter Volume 25, No.6 October 7, 1993

By MARK WALLACE
Reporter Staff

While the recent agreement between Israel and the Palestinian
Liberation Organization represents a positive step toward peace in the
Middle East, political wounds take a long time to heal, and it may be
easier to say one is committed to healing those wounds than it is to
actually heal them, said Jeremy Berger of the Israeli Student
Organization and Omer Awass of the Arab Student Organization.
	While both students believe that the agreement holds out great
hope for the future, both also feel that a lot remains to be done.
	Jeremy Berger said that he is "very happy that we can find a
solution for peace," but still is extremely wary of celebrating too
soon. "It's scary from an Israeli perspective," he said, "because
we're dealing with the PLO, which has been a terrorist organization in
the past. It's really important to question how much they can be
trusted.
	"For instance, they haven't yet rewritten their constitution,
which calls for a two-phase plan of action; first, get what land
Israel is willing to give up, and second, launch a United Arab attack
from that land. They still officially support terrorism, and do not
recognize Israel. I want to see the rewriting of that constitution
done.
	"But I think they're sincere, for several reasons. They're in
a lot of financial trouble. They made a mistake in supporting Saddam
Hussein, and so lost their financial support from the Saudis. And
because of the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, Arafat is in danger of
losing his whole organization to a force such as Hamas, the
Palestinian group most bitterly opposed to peace. 
	"I think they're also sincere because if they do something
false now, the world community will speak out against them. They've
gone public with this, they've stood on the White House lawn. If they
go back now, they will never again be taken seriously, and will have
given up all hope for peace in the Middle East."
	Awass says that he believes the agreement is "a hopeful step
for the future," but also feels that much more remains to be done. "I
try to be optimistic," he says, "but I don't think it's enough. The
key issue is land for peace. I'll be more optimistic when I see
substantive steps to grant Palestinians a state.
	"The agreement can be very good for improving relations
between Arabs and Israelis. We have to have more cooperation on both
sides.
	"But there are also people on both sides who might have
adverse feelings about the agreements. Disagreements within the
Palestinian camp, and within the Israeli camp, could be a potential
hindrance to further progress.
	"I'm trying to be optimistic but I'm often pessimistic. I'll
be more assured when I actually see a Palestinian state."