A bi-partisan group of student political leaders from across the country that just returned from a two-week visit to Israel today called upon the Reagan Administration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
A joint statement issued by the five Democrats and five Republicans also expressed the group’s “desire to strengthen the alliance” between the United States and Israel.
The trip was intended to “sensitize American leaders to the political situation, the economic concerns and the social problems” in Israel, according to Shabsa Lis, mission coordinator and a representative of the North American Jewish Students’ Network, which sponsored the trip. It was described as a “complete success” and a “thoroughly enjoyable experience” by the participants, in a press conference held today.
While in Israel, the group met with President Chaim Herzog, former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Labor Party leader Shimon Peres, Parliamentary host Dror Zeigerman, Bethlehem Mayor Elias Freij, and Israeli student leaders. They also had a 45-minute session with Premier Menachem Begin yesterday which many of the students cited as one of the highlights of their trip.
IMPRESSED BY ORDINARY CITIZENS
What seemed to impress a number of the students most, however, were the ordinary citizens they encountered. “It is an alive and vibrant country, ” said Tony Sanselone, a Democrat from Ohio who is national finance director for the College Democrats.
The “most interesting” part of the trip, said Chris Kepferle, a Democrat from Ohio and the national convention coordinator for the College Democrats, was “talking to people, to soldiers, to people on kibbutzim. They all have different opinions and they are willing to express themselves freely.” Shane McMuller, state chairman of the Mississippi College Republicans and aide to Sen. Thad Cochran (R. Miss.), noted that “everyone has an opinion. No one gave a ‘no comment.’ They told you what they thought.”
The students were unanimous in their view that “the desire for peace stands solely as the objective” of all those they met, as McMuller put it. “I’ve never seen so many people want peace so bad, ” said Sanselone.
They also all agreed that the first-hand exposure to the region gave them a much greater understanding of the complexity of the situation in the Middle East and of the American interest in supporting Israel and working towards a viable peace.
“In the U.S., people always want yes and no’s, black and white; they always want to get both sides,” said Sanselone. “Over there, there are 1,000 sides. Even after two weeks there, I feel I only know one hundredth of one millionth (of the situation).”
As to the U.S. role in the region, Sanselone emphasized that “the U.S. political system can’t make decisions and (impose) solutions for foreign countries. It is wrong for (American) politicians to give their constituents simple answers because then they think these things can be solved as simply as the problem of getting their garbage removed.” Because of the complexity of the situation, the students said, they now appreciated the time factor necessary for a settlement in the region. During their stay, an Israeli television station on the Lebanese border was bombed, the offices of an Arab newspaper were bombed, and three Arab students were killed in Hebron. “These incidents are just indicative of the situation in Israel — it can’t be resolved immediately. There are no quick fixes,” said Kepferle.
“I used to think, ‘why is it taking so long to find peace in the West Bank?’ Now I know, ” added William Severe, state chairman of the Delaware College Republicans.
Because of their first-hand experience, the students felt “a sense of urgency to comment on our observations, ” said Sanselone. But the diversity of their own individual observations and suggestions seemed to reinforce their own assessment of the complexity of the situation and echo the current spectrum of opinion among their elders.
McMuller said he particularly enjoyed touring Judaea and Samaria and the students, who all used that term to describe the West Bank, laughingly explained that their guide insisted they use the phrase. McMuller noted that the Israelis living in that region were “thriving.” He said he thinks the area “is rightfully Israel’s. It was promised by God. The people feel so strongly about (the West Bank area). You can’t tear them away from the land.”
IMPRESSED BY PIONEERING SPIRIT
Severe said he was “impressed by the pioneering spirit” of the West Bank settlers. “It reminded me of the American West,” he said. He added, however, that he thought “the idea of a Palestinian state is an idea whose time has come.”
Kepferle agreed that “the people in the settlements are not going to move,” but he said it presented a “problem” in the search for peace. Sansalone called the continued settling of the West Bank “a barrier to peace.”
But Sansalone also condemned the Palestine Liberation Organization or any other organization “that seeks to use violence to achieve its aims.” Most of the students agreed with Kepferle when he said that “the Palestinians are going to have a spokesperson to stand up and unite the people on the West Bank.” They all felt strongly that PLO chief Yasir Arafat could not fill that role.
The students seemed to have enjoyed the non-political side of their visit, as well. Rebecca Redd, Republican from Florida and assistant national program director of the College Republicans, was particularly impressed with the Western Wall and its symbolization of the “commitment and tikva (hope)” of the Jewish people. Severe said he had expected Israel to be far less developed. He said he felt “right at home” in Jerusalem, but had trouble finding a cheeseburger.
The students emphasized that they tried to view everything they encountered with an open mind. They expected much more internal violence in the country, and were surprised at how peacefully Arabs and Jews seemed to coexist within Israel. “No one should make up their mind (about Israel) before they get there themselves,” said Redd.
The trip was funded by the Student Division of the World Zionist Organization.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
