December 1989, Page 45

Waging Peace

By Vicki Tamoush

National and Regional Peace Groups Focus on Middle East

Chicago's Arab-American community is supporting efforts of Synapses, Inc., (1821 Cullerton, Chicago, IL 60608; (312) 421-5513) to form a coalition of Chicago religious, ethnic and civil rights organizations in response to the firebombing of the home of a Vietnamese business owner. The attack on the home of restaurant owner Lam Ton is similar to violent incidents which have occurred in California, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Massachusetts, New York, and Montreal. The sympathetic response of the Arab-American community is due in part to the similarity of hate crimes experienced by both Arab and Asian immigrant communities.

The Middle East Justice Network (MEJN, P.O. Box 558, Cambridge, MA 02238; (617) 666-8061) has initiated a campaign directed at Secretary of State James Baker as well as senators and congressional representatives urging that Yasser Arafat be granted a visa to enter the US to address the UN later this year. Sample letters to House and Senate representatives as well as to Baker are offered along with the list of representatives opposing Arafat's proposed visit. MEJN also provides press clippings addressing the issue, which took the form of a letter signed by 68 senators. The MEJN newsletter, "Breaking the Siege," addresses Middle East issues of both domestic and international scope and notes upcoming delegations being formed to tour the West Bank and Gaza Strip which are comprehensive and quite affordable at $750.

Middle East committees are active in American Friends Service Committee offices across the country, supporting Middle East peace and justice work. Most recently, AFSC Middle East program staff members spent a month in Israel and Israeli-occupied Palestine. Since returning, they have been speaking and showing slides to religious, peace, women's and other audiences, depicting the intifada and its effect on both Palestinian and Israeli security. AFSC also continues to promote a national program stressing an urgent and just solution to the various conflicts of the Middle East. A Compassionate Peace, a book originally prepared as a report for AFSC, has become a standard in Middle East bibliographies, and is now available in a revised edition. For more information contact Denis Doyon, AFSC, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102; (215) 241-7000.

Emphasizing nonviolent conflict resolution, the Fellowship of Reconciliation has focused at the national level on its Middle East Task Force (Box 271, Nyack, NY 10960; (914) 358-4601). Members in several states meet by conference call to coordinate projects and events on a national basis. A number of delegations, including community leaders from all over the US, have been to the Middle East to meet with Palestinian and Israeli leaders and to present their findings to their constituencies. A part-time staff person has been retained in Los Angeles, adding depth and scope to FOR's work.

The Middle East Fellowship of Southern California (P.O. Box 26801, Santa Ana, CA 92799; (213) 695-6709), founded in 1967 to promote issues of peace and justice in the Middle East, sent delegates to the UN NGO Symposium on the Question of Palestine in both New York and Vienna this year. Two members of the MEF steering committee and one member-at-large went on to the West Bank and Gaza for three weeks. Rev. Darrel Meyers, MEF chair, reported incidents of violence and tension in all of the occupied areas, but remarked on the resilience of the Palestinian people.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (16 E. 42nd St., 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10017; (212) 983-5355) continued to issue alerts on behalf of journalists held hostage worldwide. Particular emphasis has been placed on Terry Anderson and other journalists held in Lebanon, and details are provided in their many publications. A postcard campaign has been initiated to urge the Bush administration to work for release of the hostages. CPJ also addresses the issue of Arab journalists being detained and expelled, and of Arab publications shut down by the Israeli authorities.

The theme of the most recent issue of The Link, a bi-monthly publication of Americans for Middle East Understanding (475 Riverside Dr., No. 241, New York, NY 10115; (212) 983-5355) is "The International Crimes of Israeli Officials." The issue, prepared by John Quigley, professor of international law at Ohio State University, analyzes violations of international law committed by individual officials of recent Israeli administrations and compares apartheid in South African with Israeli law and practices.

Vicki Tamoush is an Arab American now based in Glendale, CA, where she is active in peace groups. She will be covering national peace efforts for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.