Important Venture

Dear Sirs,
The Palestine-Israel Journal arrived, and I am very excited about this venture since it concords with the essential thrust of peacemaking in the Middle East. Peace will not be decided by politicians but will evolve through grassroots engagement in confidence-building measures. In any case, I have subscribed to the publication and look forward to being tutored by this important venture in journalism.

Prof. Bernard Lown. M.D.
Co-Founder and Co-President Emeritus, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; Chairperson, IPPNW Distinguished Advisory Council Winner, Nobel Peace Prize 1985
Brookline, Massachusetts, USA


Support for a Peaceful Solution

Dear Sirs,
I have read with great interest the last issue of the Journal on Women in the Conflict. Like you, I feel there is never a sufficient number of sources of support for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Palestine and Israel. It is our responsi¬bility to help assure it is a peace of mutual respect, and mutual recognition of each other's national rights and aspirations. I am pleased to become a subscriber.

Nick J. Rahall, II
Member of Congress for West Virginia
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.


Vision and Determination

Dear Sirs,
Yitzhak Rabin made heroic choices. We are about 30 American Jews, Palestinians, and others who have met faithfully and successfully at the grassroots level in the Bay Area for over three years, to improve the atmosphere of familiarity, under¬standing, and reconciliation here in the United States. Rabin gave us hope, and, as we assimilate his life, let us embody the best of his qualities and the vision and determina¬tion he showed us.

For our Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group,
Len Traubman, Libby Traubman, Fanny Botto, Elias Botto
San Mateo, California, USA


Crossed the Watershed

Dear Sirs,
Israel's elected prime minister was murdered because he symbolized a new Israeli readiness to recognize the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and their self-determination. This finally came after decades of attempts by the Israeli political-military establishment and by Rabin himself to crush the Palestinian national movement by force and Occupation. In spite of his shortcomings, Rabin had the courage at last to cross the watershed.
His tragic death was followed by an unprecedented surge of identification by Israelis. Whether this will also have political significance in the forthcoming Israeli elections, remains to be seen. Under Rabin's leadership the peace process was suc¬cessfully launched; but there is still a long way to go to a successful completion. This is the test awaiting Rabin's successors and only' time will tell whether they and their Palestinian partners can measure up to this challenge.

Reuven Lahav
Tel Aviv, Israel