One Palestinian's story shows tragic situation

Send this clipping to somebody

Transcribed from the clipping

ANTHONY LEWIS authorities regarded Shikaki as a risk and BOSTON - It is a .

"Would the excluded him for that reason. small thing by the United States government act any difbloody standards of ferently?" he asked. the Middle East: just a man cut off from his I answered: "Are you suggesting that the United States would keep a man born in home and family, arbiAmerica from returning home because of trarily, without legal suspicion about a connection with his process.

But the story brother? It would not, and constitutionally does shed some light it could not." on the reality of that abstract term cupied territory." The Israeli official said, "Of course Dr Dr.

Khalil Ibrahim Shikaki, 38, is a Shikaki is not exactly a citizen of Israel." Palestinian political scientist who got his Then, perhaps realizing the import of his Ph.D. at Columbia University. He taught at statement, he dropped the point. An-Najah University in Nablus, the West For that is the point.

Shikaki, like other Bank, until Israel closed the universities in Palestinians in the occupied territories, is the occupied West Bank and Gaza at the a person without a country. Israel prides end of 1987 because of the intifada. itself on being a democracy, but the nearly In 1989 Shikaki came to the United 2 million Palestinians it rules have no vote States.

He taught for a year at the Univerand no rights of citizenship. sity of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and was To understand the case of Shikaki is to asked back twice to teach summer courses understand why Palestinians want to end on international relations.

He went on to the occupation, and why their negotiators the University of South Florida as an adhave so bitterly criticized the form of "aujunct protessor. proposed to them by Israel. For tonomy" Late in 1991 Israel allowed An-Najah to that plan would still leave it to Israeli aureopen.

Shikaki planned to return to thorities to decide who may leave or enter Nablus - and to his wite and three chilthe West Bank. who may build a house. dren. He had to have an Israeli permit to who may dig a well and so on. re-enter the West Bank.

He got it this JanThe case also shows, in its understated uary, and he flew to Jordan to go home. way, why many Israelis yearn to end the On Jan. 18 he went to the Allenby Bridge occupation. For they understand that the to cross into the West Bank.

But Israeli exercise of arbitrary authority can corrupt military authorities turned him back, and anyone: that occupation corrupts the octook his re-entry permit from him. They recupier. fused to give him any reason.

No doubt concern for Israel as well as Colleagues at the University of South concern for Shikaki led Professor Mark Fiorida asked israell authorities to re Tessler of the University of Wisconsin to consider, describing Shikaki as a scholarly appeal to Israel on his behalf. Tessler is and objective academic.

Newspapers in closely involved with Israel and has been Tampa wrote about the case. there seven times in the last three years.

At that point Israeli officials told the He said Shikaki was "a fine scholar... obTampa Tribune that there was a security jective and fair," who had helped persuade reason for excluding Shikaki: His brother, several Wisconsin students to study at the Fathi, was a founder of Islamic Jihad, a Hebrew University in Jerusalem. terrorist organization.

A Tampa Tribune columnist, The case reminded me of a piece in The Mark August. telephoned New York Review of Books last July by an Shikaki in Amman, Jordan, to ask about it. Israeli army reservist, Ari Shavit.

He told He said he had nothing to do with his about service as a guard in a Gaza detenbrother's politics. tion camp - about the inhumanity rou"We have lived our separate ways since 1973." Shikaki said. "I am not a fundamentinely inflicted on the Palestinian prisoners. talist in any sense of the word.

I abhor all forms of fanaticism, religious or other"It is not at this hour a matter of territowise." res in exchange for peace," he concluded. When I heard about the case, I tele"It is a matter of territories in exchange for phoned an Israeli official. He said security our humanity."

Cite this item

"One Palestinian's story shows tragic situation," South Bend Tribune, 3 March 1992. Covering Palestine archive, CP-1992-011. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-1992-011