The Anti-Israel Campaign

To the Editors of the Crimson:

The recent Anti-Israel campaign at Harvard instituted by the Society of Arab Students illustrates all too clearly the narrow-minded, antagonistic attitudes of the SAS. The purpose of their propaganda is to sway public opinion against what many U.S. Senators have deemed America's "most reliable ally," and the "only viable democracy in the Middle East." The SAS hopes to create a permanent wedge between the United States and Israel. To expose their true intentions, all one has to do is analyze their crude, sensationalist posters.

The SAS "fact sheets" ignore the continuing war waged by most Arab states and the PLO against Israel and attempt to place the burden of hostility on Israel. They neglect to mention the terrorist means often employed in this war and the tyrannical regimes that rule over most of the Arab League. Instead, they focus on anything negative about Israel, using "witty" little phrases such as "Don't Say You Didn't Know" and displaying lurid photographs devoid of all context. Why are there no SAS posters dealing with the positive aspects of Palestinian autonomy, rather than negative rhetoric against Israel? In the absence of such "positives" one wonders if the SAS is concerned with Palestinian rights or the destruction of the Jewish State. Adam A. Sabra, president of SAS claims that "the posters were first designed as an information campaign." Does Sabra honestly believe that isolated photos with one sentence captions and bold-lettered quotations of extremist settlers constitute "information?" The posters exemplify the blatant attempt to play on people's emotions. One poster even cites the directions on a tear gas canister used by Israeli soldiers. I suppose this too was intended for people to "consider the issue," as Sabra puts it.

To see the presumptuousness of the SAS all we have to do is look at the title of their "fact sheet." It is called "What You Need To Know About The Palestinian Uprising." Are seven diputable half-truths all one needs to know in order to understand the complexities of an issue that has riddled experts for forty years? The Arab students omit, not only their names from this poster, but also the story behind the statements. Perhaps they are scared to openly admit their support for an organization that takes greatest pride in the murder of disabled American Leon Klinghoffer, the 1972 massacre of Olympic Athletes in Munich, and the 1974 massacre of sleeping Israeli children in Ma'alot.

Since 1985, the PLO has taken credit for more than 250 attacks against innocent civilians in Israel alone, the most recent being the hijacking of a bus in Israel and the point-blank murder of a passenger, just one month ago. Four of the seven remarks on the SAS "fact sheet" imply the legitimacy of the PLO, yet the SAS conveniently forgets to mention what the PLO stands for. The PLO reaffirmed its National Covenant in April, 1987, calling for "armed struggle" against the "Zionist entity" until there is "complete liberation of Palestine." Unfortunately, no powerful Palestinian peace movement exists, as the PLO has assassinated over 15 Palestinian leaders who have dared to suggest moderation. Even though the United States refuses to recognize the PLO, it appears that the SAS supports this terrorist organization.

The Society of Arab Students' anti-Israel campaign is filled with extremism. anti-Americanism, sensationalism, and hate. The Palestinians have legitimate complaints, but the United States is standing true to its ideals by continuing to support Israel, the sole democracy in the region and a country with a human right record far superior to that of any member of the Arab League. While its members claim to do otherwise, the Society of Arab Students systematically attempts to block rational consideration of the current conflict. Glen I.A. Schwaber '91