For the first time an Arab presided over a meeting of the Knesset. Self Eddin Zouabi, 56, of Nazareth, who last year had been elected Deputy Speaker, sat on the Speakers dais today and urged Arabs beyond the borders to make peace with Israel. Mr. Zouabi opened the Knesset by saying “It was my privilege to have been a member of the Israeli parliament since its inception. I am proud of this. I have often urged the leaders of the Arab states not to think of war because war does not solve any problems, it only complicates them.” Minister of Commerce and Industry Joseph Sapir, who spoke after Mr. Zouabi, congratulated him and said he should like to regard Mr. Zouabi’s role as Speaker as “a good omen for the future, and I wish you success in fulfilling your tasks.” Mr. Zouabi is now a Labor Party candidate for the office of Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
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