MASSACRE ON CAMPUS

For one year I lived at the base of Mt. Scopus, which since 1925 has housed the Hebrew University. Every day, I would walk up from the dormitory apartment I shared with Protestant, Catholic, Mormon and Muslims roomates, past the Old British cemetary and Hadassah hospital before finally reaching the campus proper, which sprawled across the summit. The campus is architecturally brilliant, featuring interlocking terraces, stone steps and spectacular panoramic views of the Old City and the Mount of Olives. In typical Jewish philanthropic fashion, every wall, bench and plaza honored at least one, if not more than one donor. Nestled in with the standard Bronfmans, Rothbergs, Idelsons and Resnicks were other more surprinsing names. Near the center of the campus sprawled the Nancy Reagan Plaza, and bounding it on the left was the Frank Sinatra building, which featured the largest and best of the campus cafeterias. I had many a memorable discussion over schnitzel and fruit drinks in that dining hall.

Earlier today that cafeteria was turned into the scene of a massacre. Once more, the fearless Palestinian free-dom fighters chose not to risk attacking a military target, but instead murdered unarmed civillians. In yet one more act of base evil, students, many of them from foreign countries there to participate in the wondrous openess of academic exchange, were struck down for no other reason but a bottomless hatred.

How much more evil do the Palestinians have to perpetrate before they demonstrate the first glimmer of self-reflection and penitence? How long before we hear a Palestinian condemnation of this war that they started on moral, and not just tactical grounds? Yes, the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian towns is heartbreaking. But all the Palestinian spokespeople can do is cast blame upon Israel for their peoples tribulations. Yet, it is the Palestinian leadership who is truly responsible for the current plight of their people. They chose to respond to the Camp David offer with war - they chose the strategy of provoking Israel in an effort to bring in international intervention. They brought this upon their people - not Israel. If the Palestinian leadership really cared about its people it would do what any honorable losing government does when it has lost its war of agression - concede defeat, renounce violence, and subordinate their political dreams to the urgent real needs of their people.