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—Voices from the Sensible Center— Interpreting the Middle
East for North Americans— Current Affairs 2 Settlements: The Spoiler—When President Reagan announced his peace plan last September, he told Israel that only a freeze on the building of settlements during the period leading up to negotiations could give the Arabs the confidence that Israel was ready to negotiate fairly and squarely. He also told King Hussein that he would see to it that the Israelis heeded this advice. Seven months later, the Israelis were still unheeding and still building. Is it any wonder that King Hussein lost his faith that Mr. Reagan could or would guarantee him a negotiation with Israel that would not leave him swinging in the wind? 4 U.S. and Morocco Talk Trade—As usual with trade delegations, there was a lot to do and talk about when government and business leaders from Morocco visited the U.S. in mid-April. One of the activities was to put the finishing touches on a bilateral investment treaty—similar to one the U.S. signed with Egypt last year—which would provide a range of investment incentives for U.S. firms doing business in Morocco. 5 Lobby Activities—The American Israel Public Affairs Committee recently fired its latest salvo against the Administration for its handling of Mideast policy, calling the President's diplomatic efforts "pro-Arab." And the National Association of Arab Americans has taken its biggest step so far in a five-year-old effort to obtain information on possible espionage violations by a former Senate staffer. Regular Features 2 Editorial—We have always thought that President Reagan made a mistake in ruling out a Palestinian state when he made his peace proposals of last September. What did he have to lose? We think there is still time to recoup. 6 Facts For Your Files—A Chronology of U.S.-Middle East Relations 7 Book Review—It doesn't happen very often—but a work of fiction which gives a fair portrayal of both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict has come on the market. For the benefit of anyone who has been in East Mongolia for the past couple of months: we are talking about the best-selling new novel by John Le Carre. Our reviewer, who is as much an expert on mystery thrillers as he is on the Middle East, urges you to read it. 8 Personality—Question: What do chemical engineering, Islamic architecture and diplomacy have in common? Answer: They're all part of the background of Richard Parker, the Renaissance man who now edits The Middle East Journal. |