Israeli Consulate informs students

As 20 students sat huddled together Wednesday at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, they were only a phone call away from learning more about the conflict in the Middle East.\nFrom Chicago, the Israeli Consulate addressed students at 14 Midwestern universities through a conference telephone call. Students tuned in to the latest information regarding the Palestinian and Israeli dispute over Jerusalem.\nConsul General of Israel of the Midwest Tzipora Rimon spoke about current problems, future estimated problems and possible solutions. She stressed the most important thing people can do as Americans and students is to be informed about the issues. She also said it is important to be aware of the decline in violence during the past day.\n"We see a change that there has been intervention to put an end to hostilities," she said. "Violence leads to nowhere."\nRimon said Israelis and Palestinians alike are frustrated with the situation over land. The fighting and bloodshed that plague these two opposing groups must cease, but how to accomplish this peace is unknown, Rimon said. She said the extension of the ultimatum Prime Minister Ehud Barak placed upon Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians was crucial to avoiding more bloodshed.\nShe said if Barak had carried out the ultimatum, the Israelis and Palestinians would now be further from peace than ever before. \nRimon also talked about relations between Arafat and the Palestinians, confirming that Arafat does have control over the Palestinian police and militias. She said the decrease in violence proves Arafat does have the authority to do even more in furthering peace.\nAddressing America's role in the peace process, Rimon said the upcoming election could have a large effect on the speed of the process. Although Clinton has taken an active role in reaching peace, a new leader and administration has the potential to slow things down.\n"No matter who will be the next president, they will need a couple of months to establish their own administration," she said. "It will take time. It's crucial we utilize the current administration as much as possible."\nRimon said although she is pleased to educate people on the current status in Israel, she understands how hard it can be to get the straight facts with the media often portraying the issues and events inaccurately. She specifically mentioned the Sept. 30 New York Times photo that showed an Israeli soldier beating a Palestinian bystander, when actually the caption was incorrect.\n"It was later discovered that the Palestinian was actually an American student, and the soldier was actually saving his life," she said. \nSenior Jennifer Steimin, Indiana Israel Public Affairs Committee Chairperson, said she is frustrated by the discrepancy in the news, but also knows it is impossible to be aware of every detail.\n"None of us can expect to know everything that's going on," she said. "I read the paper, but I'm a full time student with (other obligations)." \nBecause Steimin can't know all the facts, she said the conference phone call was helpful to her and she hopes other students benefitted from it.\n"It's so important to hear someone like Tzipora, whose job it is to inform us on facts and not what the media portrays, because we don't know if they're right or wrong. She's the one who's talking to Barak, who's talking to different officials in the United States, and really knows what's going on."\nSophomore Joe Osgood said he tries to keep up on the current situation just as Steimin does. He watches the news and reads Israeli newspapers. He spent the summer in Israel, and said his experience made him look at the violence from a different perspective.\n"(My summer in Israel) makes it more personal," she said. "The people I was hanging out with are all going to the army. I'm nervous for them. No one wants to think about their friends in a situation like that."\nHe added that although the fighting is happening on the other side of the world, the conflict directly affects America.\n"I think the reason that people need to be informed here is to break down the stereotypes," Osgood said. "With the conference call as an example, it's trying to keep people educated. If you don't know what's going on around you, it's useless."\nUzi Heymann, graduate student in the School of Music and native of Israel, said being away from home is difficult. He said he misses his family, and is frustrated by the media portrayal of the situation.\n"I have a better understanding of the situation because I lived there for 29 years," he said. "People need to understand the fighting is not everywhere, but is happening mostly in the Palestinian territories. My family told me not to worry, so I am not."\nSteimin said the conference phone call provided closer and more immediate knowledge, which is not always available.\n"Tzipora Rimon set things straight and answered a lot of questions," she said. "It's important we know the facts -- the truth is very important. And by us all listening from 14 different schools in the country and knowing the facts, we're all on the same page and we can go from there"