TRUTH THE BIGGEST CASUALTY AT CITY COUNCIL'S MIDDLE EAST HEARING

he City Council held a hearing on 5 Resolutions concerning the crisis in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians--and man, it was somethin' else!

For any person with a shred of sympathy for what the Palestinian people are enduring at the hands of the Israelis, most of the hearing was a real test of their ability to sit quietly while their sense of truth and fairness was pummeled. In fact, at various times people were unable to restrain themselves and had to be told by the Sergeant at Arms to either pipe down or leave.

Giving testimony, one person after another spoke as though the State of Israel and every person in it are completely without fault, while the Palestinians are all depraved killers who should be only grateful to the Israelis for what they have done for them. Councilman Simcha Felder--who on so many other subjects shows excellent judgment and a highly developed sense of ethics--actually passed out a chart depicting how tough life on the West Bank was for the Palestinians before the Israelis came, and how much better it is for them now! And Rabbi Avi Weiss, representing the Coalition for Jewish Concerns-Amcha, spoke as though every Israeli death brought about by a Palestinian was cold-blooded murder, while the more than 1,600 innocent Palestinian women, children and elderly cut down by the Israeli soldiers and armed settlers--well, those were all just accidents. Mercifully, Councilman Charles Barron called Weiss on that one, which afforded some relief from the incredible assault on truth taking place. And too, thank God there were 4 persons out of about 20 giving testimony who didn't participate in the one-sided onslaught on the Palestinians, but presented facts that brought some balance to the discussion.

Of the 5 Resolutions being considered by the City Council, 3 are unabashedly pro-Israel. One urges the United States government to declare the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority terrorist organizations, and to turn the second out of their New York City offices. Two more Resolutions call for the condemnation of the Palestinian suicide bombers. As they each go into detail about acts committed by these bombers, no mention whatsoever is made of the Palestinian civilians killed by Israelis except where it is hinted at in Res. 214. After expressing "solidarity with the people of the State of Israel" it contains the vague phrase "as well as sympathy for the loss of all civilian lives in the current conflict."

There is a 4th Resolution asking the US government to condemn and call for an immediate end to the recent barrage of anti-Jewish violence sweeping across Europe and other Western nations. Again, nowhere is there a clue that maybe, just maybe, Israel has been committing acts that have aroused the ire of some Europeans, although the way they are showing their anger should be condemned utterly.

The only Resolution that even attempts to be unbiased is the Resolution submitted by Councilman Barron and co-sponsored by Council Members Yvette Clarke, Helen Foster, Philip Reed, James Sanders Jr., Larry Seabrook and Al Vann--all, as was pointed out in the hearing, Council Members of African descent. This Resolution calls for "an evenhanded policy in the Middle East and a halt to the killings of innocent Palestinians and Israelis." It asks the City Council to serve as a facilitator of peace and not to appear to take sides in the conflict since both sides have valid grievances and demands. It also calls upon the Council to recognize that just as it supports Israel's right to exist with safe and secure borders, so too it must support Palestine's right to self-determination and the creation of a Palestinian state. And it states emphatically, "Only through dialogue and peaceful negotiations can these historic conflicts be resolved."

The hearing was conducted by Councilman Jose Serrano, Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup Relations, to which these Resolutions were assigned.

Making a case for the first 4 Resolutions, the Committee heard from such persons as State Congressman Eliot Engel, member of the Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee; Ronald Soloway, from the UJA-Federation of New York; Betty Ehrenberg, with the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; Michael Landau, for the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations of the West Side; and Michael S. Miller, representing the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Also giving very affecting testimony were Stephen Flatow who lost his 20 year-old daughter to a Palestinian suicide attack, and Devorah Halberstam whose 16 year-old son was killed in Brooklyn because he was Jewish.

Presenting testimony in behalf of Councilman Barron's Resolution was Rev. Herbert Daughtry who spoke of the urgent necessity to stop pointing the finger and instead ask why the suicide bombings. "It seems to me we get heavy on the WHO and light on the WHY," he said. "To ask that question is by no means to support the act; nor is it unpatriotic."

Stephen Rosskam Shalom, a professor of Political Science at William Paterson University, spoke about the fact that since 1967 "the role of the US government in the Israel-Palestinian conflict has been to give Israel uncritical military, economic, and diplomatic support, providing no incentives for Israel to seek a just settlement with the Palestinians. Much of the weaponry Israel has been using to attack the Palestinians," he continued, "was either made in the US or made in Israel with US research and development funding." And he said that our policies haven't really helped the people of Israel. They just insure that violence and insecurity will continue.

Mitchel Cohen, who is Jewish and a member of the Green Party USA, brought forth the view of the many Jews, including in Israel, who do not support Israel's Occupation of Palestine. He read a statement for the 600 plus Israeli soldiers who have refused to serve in the Occupied Territories, many of whom are now in jail. He concluded with a statement from the Green Party urging the divestment of New York City funds from agencies and financial institutions that are invested in the State of Israel.

Perhaps the best speaker of the day was Monica Tarazi who represented the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. She focused some much-needed attention on the Palestinians who have been killed, as well as the over 19,600 injured by the Israelis. She told of the many atrocities committed by Israeli soldiers: using unarmed Palestinian civilians as human shields, firing on ambulances trying to reach the wounded, shelling residential buildings and schools, and bulldozing Palestinian homes with their residents still inside.

Tarazi concluded that those "struggling for peace and justice in the Middle East do not need one-sides Resolutions which can only exacerbate an already explosive situation. We must stand together and say that peace can only prevail when there is justice for all."

From the looks of this hearing, it is doubtful that the New York City Council will see its way clear to doing the right thing on this issue. But at least some Members tried!

Donna Lamb can be reached at dlamb@gis.net.