Tel Aviv bombing must not shut off campus dialogue
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 23, 1994 9:00 p.m.
Tel Aviv bombing must not shut off campus dialogue
The powerful explosion that rocked Tel Aviv at 8:55 a.m.
Wednesday sent shock waves rippling across the world. Twenty-two
killed, 48 injured.Time zones away from the bombing, those figures
fell on the heavy hearts of people in Los Angeles who mourn the
continual violence plaguing the Middle East. The darkness brought
on by this bombing  the deadliest terrorist assault in 16
years  contrasts sharply with the joy that accompanied the
recent announcement of Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser
Arafat as Nobel Peace Prize winners.
We strongly condemn the horror of this bombing, and join other
members of the world community who hope this latest strike will not
derail the fragile peace process. Last week’s explosion must not
blow apart the dialogue at the negotiation table.
But we cannot control the communication between leaders in the
Middle East. What we can do is shape the discourse among community
members here at UCLA.
The Arab-Israeli conflict has powerfully impacted this campus.
This reaction is not surprising  many connections to the
events in the Middle East connect groups on campus, especially the
Jewish and Muslim communities. Cultural and religious ties,
personal identifications, ideological beliefs, hope, fear and
dreams thread many students into the issue. In the past few years,
UCLA students have been especially vocal. The continuing violence
in the Middle East has provoked rallies, protests and heated
debates. Events in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank seem to ripple
back across the tiny threads which connect them to Westwood.
This global impact is felt in both times of peace and times of
war. Campus tension increases in relation to the heightening of
conflict between these distant governments. Last spring, after the
horrifying massacre in Hebron, relationships between campus groups
grew strained. And last week, the Tel Aviv bombing provoked a dual
reaction  a feeling of shock at the tragedy, accompanied by
bated breath, as students waited to see how others would
respond.
While our generation’s political awareness and activism on this
issue is commendable, we cannot let those connecting threads tangle
our relations with members in our own community. Dialogue, debate
and discussion on this issue is vital. There will be disagreements.
There will be arguments. But the tension and conflict of holding
one another accountable for the actions of Middle Eastern leaders
thousands of miles away is divisive and painful.
On Thursday, the Israeli Cabinet sealed the West Bank and Gaza
Strip indefinitely in response to the fatal bombing. Now, we must
not seal off communication here. If anything, students should use
their knowledge and personal connections to expand campus
discussion on the issue. We cannot stop the terrorism or force the
peace process. But we can take leadership on this issue in our own
community to continue the dialogue.
