As part of last week’s events marking the first anniversary of the signing of the Palestinian self-rule accord in Washington, Israeli President Ezer Weizman hosted some 400 Israeli and Arab intellectuals at a garden party at the presidential residence.
Among the Israeli writers, artists, musicians and intellectuals attending the ceremony were writers Amos Oz and A.B. Yehoshua as well as singer Ofra Haza.
Many of the Israelis were associated with the Peace Now movement, and had frequently met with Palestinian leaders when such meetings were still officially banned.
Among the Arab guests — which included Moroccans, Tunisians, Egyptians, Sudanese and Syrians — many were expatriates who are currently living and working in Europe or the United States.
Members of mainstream intellectual groups in the Arab world, including Egyptians and Jordanians, still refuse to have any contacts with their Israeli colleagues and have declined invitations to visit Israel.
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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.
