(Los Angeles Times) Walter Reich - U.S. officials want Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas to visit a Holocaust museum. Were Abbas to visit the Holocaust museum in Washington, many Jews would see the visit as a diplomatic gimmick set up by the administration to manipulate their opinions and as an exploitation of the memory of their dead for political purposes. And Arabs would see it as a humiliating concession extorted from a weak Palestinian leader by a powerful America. On the other hand, a visit by Abbas to Israel's own Holocaust museum would raise doubts about Holocaust denial in the Arab world, and in Israel it would be seen as a genuine acknowledgment of the history and fears of Israelis.
2003-08-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive