Editorial
Is it possible for a Palestinian and an Israeli to write a joint
editorial on the 1948-1998 span of their conflictive history? On
what is for Israelis a joyful celebration of fifty years of
independence, but for Palestinians recalls the memory of a homeland
lost and their having become a people of refugees?
It is not easy, but it is possible, provided one believes - as we
do in this journal - that with the Oslo agreements signed by
Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, in September 1993, a fresh start
was made by the two peoples. A fresh start does not mean forgetting
past mistakes and wrongs, nor the present imbalance between
Palestinians and Israelis: for while Israelis have realized their
national aspirations, Palestinians are still deprived of most of
their land in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, without which
national self-determination and statehood will remain empty words.
Furthermore, the problem of the Palestine refugees of 1948 and
their claim to the right of return r
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