Major Contribution to the Peace Process
Dear Sirs,
Your journal impresses me as an outstanding achievement, with
articles containing vivid and well-documented details within a
broad and well¬-balanced perspective.
Above all, it seems to me that your journal makes a major
intellectual contribution to the peace process at this crucial
time, by broadening and deepening our understanding of not only its
political, but also its cultural, psychological and economic
dimensions.
Sincerely,
Dankwart A. Rustow
Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology
CUNY Graduate School, New York
Not My Voice
Dear Sirs,
When Daniel Gavron told me that this journal was about to be
pub¬lished, I immediately wrote a check for a subscription,
sight unseen. It was that important to me.
Now, two years later, I am increasingly angry and hurt at what it
has become. I thought the journal would represent the voice of
progressive Palestinians and Israelis. Instead, it represents the
voice of half the pro¬gressive Palestinians and Israelis. Not
my voice.
The most recent issue (Vol. II, No.1) was the height of male
power-hog¬ging: 20 out of 21 articles written by men (the
exception being a brief report of an opinion survey). Not even the
book, theater or film review were in the voice of a woman; nor the
books, plays or films that were reviewed; not even, amazingly, the
two poems.
Aren't you embarrassed, if not ashamed, about this? You care deeply
about the rights of Palestinians, as you should - the principle of
50-50 is quite evident throughout the journal- but only with
respect to nationali¬ty, not gender. Do you think that women
don't deserve the same funda¬mental respect as
Palestinians?
In response to a telephone complaint, co-editor Ziad Abu Zayyad
assured me that one issue would be devoted to women in the peace
move¬ment. This is not a solution. Imagine the reaction if
this journal would save all the articles written by Palestinians
for the one issue carrying their point of view.
The peace movement on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides is
studded with extraordinary women, many of them eloquent writers.
Some of them write in a style and with content that men have deemed
serious and appro¬priate; others write in a style and with a
content that women deem serious and appropriate. I want to read
both types of peace writing; your journal allows me to read
neither.
Respectfully,
Gila Svirsky
Jerusalem
