Outbreaks of violence land close to home for students

By Todd Belie
Daily Bruin Contributor

With the death toll nearing 100, violent clashes in the Middle
East show little sign of stopping in the days ahead.

The fighting and bloodshed that continues half a world away has
sparked a divided reaction on campus.

“I saw students from both sides who are very emotional
because everyone has such close attachments to the situation”
said Al Tsarovsky, president of the Jewish Student Union.
“It’s such a sensitive subject and it brings out anger
and pride, but I don’t think there’s a better place for
dialogue than on the UCLA campus.”

Many Muslim students also showed their support for Palestinians
and Israeli Arabs by wearing green armbands.

“A lot of people are concerned here because many have
family and strong ties to the area,” said Ghaith Mahmood,
president of the Muslim Student Association.

Despite increased conflict abroad, many on campus remain
calm.

“I would be misinterpreting my faith if I harbored any
negative feelings toward Muslims, or anybody,” Tsarovsky
said. “That’s not what Judaism is about.”

“Once you put a face to the title it’s much harder
to harbor negative energy,” he said. “Having friends
who are both Muslim and Arab, it makes it impossible for me to ever
harbor negative intentions toward the entire culture.”

Israeli forces retaliated Thursday for the mob killing of two
captured soldiers by striking at several Palestinian targets,
including Yasser Arafat’s residential compound.

Since Sept. 28, the clash between Palestinians and Israelis has
left at least 94 dead and hundreds wounded.

“This is a declaration of war ““ a crazy war,”
senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat told the Associated
Press.

In addition to helicopter strikes, Israeli forces destroyed six
Palestinian Naval vessels and a security headquarters building.

With stepped-up peace negotiations in Paris occurring only weeks
ago, the conflict comes at an unfortunate time.

“The tragic dimension is that the parties were on the
brink of a breakthrough agreement and precisely at the point when
there was a chance for resolution, a provocation unleashed a furor
and rage that has hurt the process, hopefully not
irreparably,” said Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, director of
Hillel at UCLA.

Thursday morning, Israeli Communications Minister Binyamin
Ben-Eliezer declared on Israeli radio, “The peace process is
dead. Arafat’s clear desire is for war; that is what he
wants.”

Muslims have argued that the escalated conflict was forced upon
the Palestinians.

“The Palestinians are not a violent people, but they are
sick of being treated as second-class citizens,” Mahmood
said. “They are a small group of unequipped people standing
up against gunships and tanks.”

“It takes a lot for 16-year-old males to come out and
confront Israeli soldiers. That’s not something that someone
can do just by feeling pressure,” he continued.

Gabriel Piterberg, professor of Near East History, said he does
not believe peace can be achieved any time soon.

“I don’t believe Clinton can reach a peace agreement
because he doesn’t want to affect his wife’s campaign
and the important Jewish vote, so I don’t believe he will
intervene,” he said. “The killing of Palestinians will
continue.”

Professor Steven Spiegel, an expert on the conflict in the
Middle East, also has his doubts about a peace settlement coming
any time in the near future.

“By thinking the process was easier than it really is
we’re taking a very American, very simplistic approach and
our expectations have been too high” Spiegel said.

“I think the mistake in the past two years has been people
thinking you come to an agreement one day and things will then be
great and people will be very friendly. People need to think of it
as a process that may take decades,” Spiegel said.

Piterberg also noted a difference in how the conflict is viewed
in America.

Seidler-Feller mentioned the possibility that an agreement might
still be reached without tensions rising between factions on
campus.

“This conflict does not in any way diminish the resolution
to peace on my part,” Seidler-Feller said.
“There’s no reason in my mind to develop unnecessary
antagonism outside of the Middle East. There are confrontations
such as these that are, in an ironic way, part of the
process.”

With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.