Defending the Invitiation to Sari Nusseibeh to Lunch

I want to give a full report on the Nusseibeh meeting, because it has caused a firestorm around the country that no one expected.

I suggest that my remarks be sent to all the chapters since we have been receiving frantic e-mails and phone calls from Arizona, Ct. Westchester, et al.

In my strong opinion, there is hysteria afoot in the Jewish world, and the reaction to our invitation to Nusseibeh is a prime example.

AJC prides itself on being a thoughtful and cool-headed organization, and such qualities are in desperate need at this point.

AJC, JCRC, and ADL did not “honor” Nusseibeh on Friday.

We jointly invited him to our headquarters for the purpose of open, honest dialogue. If one insists that inviting an Arab to break bread and talk is, in effect, honoring him, so be it!

Everyone concerned about the future peace negotiations between Palestinians and Jews should know Nusseibeh. He has been speaking out for peace and non-violence for 20 years, both publicly and privately. I had him speak at a breakfast meeting about 7 years ago when he was on sabbatical at Brandeis.

I am sure you know that he is a personal friend of Jehuda and Shulamit Reinharz, and has entered into academic arrangements between Al- Quds University and institutions here in Boston.

If Nusseibeh does not fit the title of “moderate” I simply do not know who does.

If we cannot talk to a man like Nusseibeh then there is not a Palestinian alive worth talking to and we may as well abandon any pretense or hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Shortly before the meeting last Friday, an -mail campaign erupted from Jerusalem from David Bedein, a self proclaimed “Bureau Chief the Israel Resource News Agency” who stated that Nusseibeh praised a Palestinian mother named Uhm Nidal, who “dispatched” her son on a suicide mission that resulted in the killing of 7 young Israelis.

Bedein sent this item, along with other alleged statements made by Nusseibeh, to hundreds of people around the world.

Nusseibeh tells an entirely different story. He was invited on to Al Jazheera to speak his mind, and he grabbed the opportunity, despite his opinion of Al Jazheera as a “propagandistic, deceptive, unreliable, and inflammatory” media outlet. He knew they reached a large audience and he wanted to get his words across to as many people as possible.

Al-Jazheera blindsided him, first by putting him with a Hamas leader, seated in a different studio, and then–even worse–putting on the mother, Uhm Nidal. Nusseibeh described the mother as crying and shouting and wailing and moaning for her lost son. Nusseibeh was asked to comment on the mother’s situation. He offered condolence and sympathy and, most likely, Koranic praise for her sacrifice.

Nusseibeh was trapped into saying what he said. Under the circumstances, he had no choice. He made it absolutely clear, however, that he has been opposed to violence against Israeli civilians for many years. He has stated these views repeatedly, and has paid a price as a result. As many of us know, Nusseibeh has been harassed, threatened, insulted, defamed, and physically beaten by his fellow Palestinians because of his anti-violence views. These facts are well recorded by the international media, and need no corroboration.

Nusseibeh was one of the first Palestinians to sign an anti-violence proclamation in 2000. It was Nusseibeh who got 55 signatures on the June 2003 Proclamation against suicide bombings. No Palestinian had done so before. It was Nusseibeh who entered into partnership with Ami Ayalon –at Ayalon’s request–to draft the 6 Principles, “two states for two people”, adjustable borders, in accordance with security, territorial, contiguity, and demographic concerns, division of Jerusalem, right of Palestinian return only to the new state of Palestine, demilitarization of the Palestinian state, and a final end to the conflict.

Nusseibeh is one of the few Palestinians to repudiate the Right of Return as impractical and futile, and he had the courage to say so in alliance with the former Head of Shin Bet–quite an extraordinary act of courage.

E-mails flooding into our office and the offices of JCRC and ADL, our partners in the Nusseibeh program, have called Nusseibeh a “snake”, a “terrorist”, “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, an “enemy of the Jewish people”. Bluntly speaking, this is sheer lunacy!

Nusseibeh acknowledges that Israelis and Palestinians are in a state of war and it is extremely difficult for one side to trust the other.

Israelis are justified in not feeling an emotional trust in Palestinians: Nusseibeh admitted that there is a lot of hate being spewed in the Palestinian community today. “This is a real problem and we must confront it. It is in my interest as a Palestinian to confront it!”

He related an incident when he took his young sons to a local mosque. The Imam’s sermon was filled with such virulent hate, that Nusseibeh dragged his sons out of the mosque in disgust.

Needless to say, Palestinians also find it hard to trust Israelis.

Nusseibeh stated repeatedly that Palestinians and Jews should enter into dialogue: “we need to get closer to each other.” And he encouraged Muslim/Palestinian-Jewish dialogue in Boston and around America as well.

In conclusion, Nusseibeh stated, “I have been consistent in my quest for peace and non- violence. Palestinian people know exactly what I think and what I feel. I do not say one thing in English and another thing in Arabic. The Internet can spread inflammatory allegations about my position, but those who know me know what I really think and feel.”

Over 150 people jammed the 9th floor of our building for the event. Two policemen were on duty. The interaction was civil. Hard questions were asked, but Nusseibeh was forthright and disarming. He is quite charming, both in manner and physical appearance, and he undoubtedly had a positive effect on the majority of the audience. Hard core ideologues were not convinced, to be sure, but that was to be expected.

Flyers were passed around with alleged quotes made by Nusseibeh, but the meeting did not allow for a point-by-point discussion.

I would not be surprised if Nusseibeh has made disturbing comments in the past, but as he clearly asserted, “I am not a Zionist!” I doubt if any Palestinian could pass a “Jewish” test.

As Rabin once said”You make peace with your enemies and not your friends.” Sari Nusseibeh is the best “enemy” we can hope for under the present circumstances, no matter what Bedein, Naomi Ragen, and others may say.

Larry Lowenthal is Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee in Boston