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THE HARRY S. TRUMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEACE

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THE HARRY S. TRUMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEACETHE HARRY S. TRUMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEACENewsTruman Peace Prize awarded

President of the Hebrew University, Professor Menachem Magidor, and Chairman of the Truman Institute Board of Trustees, US Ambassador William A. Brown, presenting the Truman Peace Prize scroll to General Powell, former US Secretary of State.Full article on pages 12-13

to General Colin Powell

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Israel Prize awarded to Prof. Amnon Cohen, former Truman Institute Director

Iran, Hizballah and Hamas: Money, Martyrdom and the Mahdi

Meet the Truman Institute Research Groups

Tru(Wo)man Mystique: Women Achievers at the Truman Institute

Laila Abed Rabho: Palestinian Scholar at the Truman Institute

New Research Project:The Golan Between Israel and Syria

The Truman Shelves: New Books by Truman Scholars

20-22

19Seminar for Young Russian Diplomats

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The Truman Institute’s Dr. David Sagiv was a recipient of the Landau Prize of Mifal Hapayis (Israel’s National Lottery) for science and research. A linguist, researcher and translator, Dr. Sagiv has devoted his life to advancing research in both the Hebrew and Arabic languages. His crowning achievement was a Hebrew-Arabic Dictionary for the Hebrew language of our times, an all-encompassing, rich and precise work. Dr. Sagiv has also written a new Hebrew-Arabic, Arabic-Hebrew Dictionary and has translated into Hebrew many literary works by Arab writers.

Dr. David Sagiv holding the Mifal Hapayis statuette.

An international conference on “Iran, Hizballah and Hamas: Money, Martyrdom and the Mahdi” was held at the Truman Institute in April 2007 in cooperation with The Israel Project. It was headed by Iran expert Dr. Eldad J. Pardo and co-directed by Truman Institute Research Fellow Shelley Elkayam.

Presentations were made by leading researchers from Israel, the US and Germany. The 24 participants offered many insights, innovative approaches and methodologies on such pressing questions as: Mahdi, Extremism and Pragmatism; What is the Eastern Mediterranean Outreach of Iran? Is Hizballah Independent or Iranian? Is the Alliance of Iran and Hamas a Marriage of Convenience? Can Iran's Islamic Card Work? Iran, Alawite Syria and Hizballah: Who is Calling the Shots? and Global Terrorism: Iran, Hizballah and Al-Qaeda.

Like the previous Iran conference at Truman in January 2007 (see page 10), this program attracted a large crowd of high-level diplomats, scholars, foreign press, and members of the public.

A four-day International Conference on Japan in honor of Prof. Ben-Ami Shillony was convened by the Truman Institute and the Department of East Asian Studies at the Hebrew University. Prof. Shillony, Israel’s leading expert on Japan, was Director of the Truman Institute 1987-1990.

(L-R) Prof. Israel Bartal, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund, former President of the Hebrew University, Prof. Ben-Ami Shillony, H. E. Yoshinori Katori, Ambassador of Japan, Prof. Haim Rabinowitch, Rector of the Hebrew University.

A Man of his Words

Iran, Hizballah and Hamas: Money, Martyrdom and the Mahdi

TRUMAN NEWSLETTER 3

Prof. Amnon Cohen has been awarded the coveted Israel Prize for Land of Israel Studies for 2007. The prize is given annually by the Minister of Education. Prof. Cohen was Director of the Truman Institute from 1998 to 2003, and established new research units as well as expanding Middle Eastern Studies activities.

Prof. Cohen’s most important work was to reveal for the first time the sealed treasures of Ottoman Muslim Court archives. The panel of judges said that his “research in the archives of the Shar’ia Courts in Jerusalem was a breakthrough in the historiography of the land of Israel and the Ottoman Empire. His presentation of research in this field has gained him exceptional recognition and respect in the international academic community. Prof. Cohen is a generous and devoted teacher who educated a generation of researchers and teachers.”

Prof. Cohen has spent most of his academic career at the Hebrew University, and currently holds the post of Eliahu Elath Professor Emeritus of the History of the Muslim Peoples in the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. He is one of the Truman Institute’s most distinguished researchers and a member of its Iraq research group.

Elhanan Hacohen, Vice President and Director General of the Hebrew University, and Naama Shpeter, Administrative Director of the Truman Institute, presenting a bouquet to Prof. Amnon Cohen on the occasion of his Israel Prize award.

Israel Prize to Former Truman Institute DirectorPrime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert and Knesset Speaker and Acting President Dalia Itzik present Prof. Cohen with the Israel Prize.

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Dr. Ruth Roded (Coordinator), Dr. Ela Greenberg, Laila Abed Rabho, Dr. Kobi Peled, Dr. Liat Kozma, Ms. Tal Shenhav.

From the West to the East, including the Middle East, gender relations are an important key to understanding society and even politics. Gender Studies, however, is not merely the study of women, but analyzes the relations

between men and women as constructed or determined by different societies at different times.

An interdisciplinary research team from the fields of history, architecture, communication and anthropology is examining the intersection of gender and space in the Middle East. “Everybody assumes that the Middle East is divided by gender, there is a men’s space and a women’s space,” says Coordinator Dr. Ruth Roded. “As it turns out, that description needs a more sophisticated approach.”

The group is seeking a more nuanced understanding of how different forms of power and domination, from the late nineteenth century until today, have mediated and controlled people’s access to space and have helped to define society in gendered terms. The time span allows an historical background to be linked with contemporary issues in the Middle East, and reveals the underlying dynamics.

Gender, Space and Forms of Domination in the Middle East and North Africa

Dr. Eldad Pardo (Coordinator), Prof. Eytan Gilboa, Prof. Raymond Cohen, Prof. Elie Podeh, Prof. Yitzhak Shichor, Dr. Brenda Shaffer.

In recent years Iran has moved swiftly onto the international stage, and its activities have aroused much concern among the major powers, regional governments, international organizations and world public opinion. The Islamic Republic’s combination of extreme – often indecipherable – ideologies, vast oil and gas reserves and strategic position in the Middle East, along with its aggressive stance and involvement in radical Islamic terrorism, have turned it into a global threat. The country’s ambitious and fast-growing nuclear and missile

Iran in Global Perspectives

(L–R) Dr. Liat Kozma, Tal Shenhav, Dr. Ela Greenberg, Laila Abed Rabho, Dr. Ruth Roded, Dr. Kobi Peled

(L–R) Dr. Eldad Pardo, Mozhleh Arbel, Shelley Elkayam, Prof. Elie Podeh, Prof. Yitzhak Shichor

TRUMAN NEWSLETTER 5

programs add urgency to the situation. Some observers even argue that Iran is preparing for a Third World War in which it intends to break the two post-World War II taboos of “no more Auschwitz, no more Hiroshima”.

The innovative approach taken by the IGP research group is to study the policies and reactions of the world’s major actors, as well as Iran’s own activities around the globe, and to compare the findings with the Islamic Republic’s ideological output and the domestic challenges it faces.

“Iran is an unstable entity; it is unpredictable,” says Dr. Eldad Pardo. “Iran has a regime that is

not functioning well and does not have a strong support in the public. The conflicting messages coming out of Iran, which are sometime outrageous and on other occasions conciliatory, make the crux of its policy virtually invisible.”

The agendas of world leaders can be similarly masked by vague statements. Iran is a typical example of a regime that requires a meticulous study of the global arena alongside a careful analysis of selected variables within the country itself. The IGP project collaborates with leading regional and Iran scholars, and has become a valuable resource for understanding the Iranian challenge.

Iraq: A Future of Unity or DisintegrationDr. Noga Efrati (Coordinator), Prof. Amnon Cohen, Prof. Elie Podeh, Dr. Avraham Sela, Dr. Michael Eppel, Dr. Liora Lukitz, Dr. Ronen Zeidel, Dr. Eldad Pardo.

“It is four years since the Coalition forces entered Iraq,” says Dr. Noga Efrati, “and as the debate rages in the U.S. over the appropriate strategy for stabilizing the country, Iraq finds itself at a crossroads. Attempts at reconciliation stumble against the reality of a divisive civil war. Developments in Iraq will have far-reaching regional and international implications.”

This research group, now in its third year of tracking developments in Iraq, includes specialists on the Arab and Muslim worlds as well as on Iraq. From the outset, its main question has been: Are we witnessing a neocolonial era in which superpowers establish a state in their own image, or will external intervention trigger deep-seated conflicts that will lead to the establishment of three autonomous entities?

The group explores historical, political, ideological, social and economic factors that push and/or pull in the direction of national unity or disintegration. For example, the role of the Shi’i, Kurdish, and Sunni leaderships in stabilizing or destabilizing the country, as well as the roles played by Iran, Turkey and the Arab states. Other key issues are the emergence of a new national identity, the critical debate over the constitution, and the position of women in Iraqi society.

The Iraq Group conducts monthly seminars and hosts guests from Israel as well as from abroad. Its research findings will be published in a book edited by Prof. Cohen and Dr. Efrati.Iran in Global Perspectives

(L–R) David Zohar, Dr. Ronen Zeidel, Dr. Noga Efrati, Prof. Elie Podeh, Prof. Amnon Cohen, Dr. Michael Eppel, Dr. Liora Lukitz, Dr. Eldad Pardo

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Dr. Lynn Schler (Coordinator), Dr. Yael Abessira, Dr. Louise Bethlehem, Dr. Ruth Ginio, Dr. Hagar Salamon, Dr. Galia Sabar.

In the last decade, migrants have been crossing borders in unprecedented numbers. The African Labor research group is examining how expanding markets, the migration experience, and shifting political and economic boundaries impact African laborers across time and place. The approach is multifaceted, exploring the construction of

Dr. Eldad Pardo (Coordinator), Prof. Raphael Israeli, Dr. Giora Eliraz, Shelley Elkayam, Dr. Reuven Enoch, Dr. Chen Bram, Dr. Neville Lamdan, Prof. Emmanuel Sivan, Dr. Aryeh Oded, Dr. Dafna Tsimhoni, Mr. Nissim Rejwan.

Since the 1970s the world has seen a profound religious resurgence. Large numbers of people have been gripped by religious fervor, and many have become politically active. Some are well-intentioned, while others are bent on terror.

The RACA project aims to crack the secret of why these religious actors are so often involved in political conflict. Its interdisciplinary and inter-religious research team looks into the motivation and background of selected religious actors, both radical and mainstream, do-gooders and warmongers.

Case studies are drawn mostly from Muslim countries such as Iran, Iraq and Indonesia, as well as from the Islamic Movements in Israel, East Africa and the Caucasus, with other groups represented by the Vatican, Christian extremists in Georgia, and the inter-religious movement associated with the Unification Church.

African Labor in National and Transnational Contexts

Religious Actors in Con�ict Areas The team has found that all these religious groups have certain characteristics in common: a persuasive metaphorical language, rituals, a close spiritual community, a certain rigidity, strong idealism, a belief in God and a firm conviction about the purity of their motives. The operational conclusions they draw, however, are conflicting and even puzzling. While some religious actors choose peace, others opt for war. The critical turning point is still being examined.

Most significantly, these religious actors have been able to cross countries and cultures to gather political support and inspire activists. “People need certainties,” says Dr. Pardo, “spirituality and religiosity provide this certainty that then can be channeled to an array of causes, from ethno-national agendas to working for peace to recruiting terrorists.”

(L–R) Dr. Ruth Ginio, Dr. Galia Sabar, Dr. Yael Abessira, Dr. Lynn Schler, Dr. Hagar Salamon, Dr. Louise Bethlehem

(L–R) Dr. Eldad Pardo, Shelley Elkayam, Dr. Dafna Tsimhoni, Dr. Neville Lamdan

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Dr. Yitzhak Reiter (Coordinator), Dr. Yitzhak Brudny, Dr. Efrat Ben-Zeev, Orna Cohen, Prof. Aziz Haidar, Dr. Michael Karayanni, Dr. Oren Barak.

A unique triangular relationship exists between the Arab minority, the Jewish majority and the State of Israel. Jews and Arabs are simultaneously both a minority and a majority. The Arabs are a minority in Israel, but a majority in the regional Arab and Islamic worlds. The Jews, although a majority in Israel, tend to have a siege mentality as they are surrounded by populous Arab countries.

The interdisciplinary research group includes historians, political scientists, sociologists and conflict resolution experts. It takes a comparative perspective, examining a series of ethno-national conflicts in the world that have features in common with Israeli society, such as Ireland, Sri Lanka, Estonia, Jordan, Canada and Macedonia.

The conflict issues selected are: the demographic debate; the parallel narratives of the different groups; kinship relations between the minority and their original homeland(s); the role of leadership; and the Church–State relationship. “We hope that our comparative study will provide new insights and ideas on how to navigate the internal Jewish-Arab conflict in Israel towards a more peaceful situation,” says Dr. Reiter.

identities, political and cultural ideologies, religious beliefs and social action among African workers and producers. These migrants face restrictions to their freedom, as well as new opportunities, in the volatile economic landscapes into which they move.

The research team seeks to understand how the migration experience of African laborers in countries within and beyond the continent affects cultural and social networks, both in their host environments and in their places of origin. Does migration lead to continuities or breaks in these networks? To what extent does this ebb and flow

of labor challenge national, cultural and religious boundaries in Africa and beyond? For those workers and producers who remain in Africa, the task is to understand whether the imposition of outside economic interests on local societies leads to transformations or hybridizations of existing economic, cultural and political agendas.

“The Truman Institute is one of the only Israeli institutes providing active support for academic research on Africa,” says Dr. Schler, commenting on the importance of this research and the lack of attention to these issues elsewhere.

The Arab Minority, the Jewish Majority and the State of Israel

State of Israel. Jews and Arabs are simultaneously

(L–R) Dr. Yitzhak Reiter, Dr. Yitzhak Brudny, Orna Cohen, Reuven Ben- David, Dr. Oren Barak, Dr. Efrat Ben- Zeev

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For the first time in its 40-year history, half of the research groups at the Truman Institute are headed by women.

Revolution might be too dramatic a term, but the growing presence of women at Truman certainly marks a shift in the traditional gender balance at the Institute. Not only are an increasing number of research groups and units headed by women, but they are also well represented in administrative echelons. Is this the sound of an academic glass ceiling being shattered – or at least cracked – and will it have a long-term ripple effect on Middle East scholarship? Time alone will tell.

Prof. Naomi Chazan, a former Truman Director and former Knesset Member, calls this shift a “coming of age.” And while not exclusively the case, many of these scholars are turning their academic eye to gender issues. Take Dr. Ruth Roded. Affiliated with Truman since the early 1990s – she was recruited by Chazan – Roded convened gender workshops under the auspices of the Institute from 1997 to 2005. Today she heads the research group, Gender, Space and Forms of Domination in the Middle East and North Africa, and says she would like “to bring gender analysis into the mostly male-oriented field of Middle Eastern history,” a field that she says is “all too often dominated by military and economic history.”

Although Dr. Roded herself hadn’t noticed the conspicuous presence of women at Truman – but says “it’s about time”– it is significant that of the

The Tru(Wo)man Mystique By Shelley Kleiman

six members of her group, five are women. She suggests two main reasons for this gender shift. First, a growing global interest in women scholars. More than that, an interest in Middle Eastern women has enjoyed a boom both in academia and in more popular fields. “When I began researching women in Islamic history back in the ’80s, I was told it would ruin my career,” she observes. “Today, it is a hot topic.”

Dr. Noga Efrati heads another key research group at Truman studying Iraq: A Future of Unity or Disintegration, and is convinced that women scholars bring a unique perspective, especially to Gender Studies. A Gender group was established four years ago and Efrati took over as Coordinator last year. Its aim is to examine “whether we are entering a neocolonial era in Iraq, or whether western intervention will spur increased conflicts and a process of decentralization in the country.” While men are the majority in this group, Efrati says it is essential to explore the current situation in Iraq from a gender-oriented perspective, simply because “women make up a very large percentage of the ‘older’ population in the country, a factor frequently not taken into account when exploring security and economic issues.”

Since arriving at Truman four years ago as a Young Scholar, Efrati has seen an increasing number of women, both doctoral candidates and post-doctoral students, applying to the Institute and initiating projects there. She also notes a growing interest in Gender Studies. Roded, who is currently

(L–R) Dr. Maya Rosenfeld, Prof. Naomi Chazan, Dr. Noga Efrati

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editing a book with Efrati, Women and Gender in the 20th-Century Middle East, a collection of original research by Israeli scholars, suggests another reason for this recent academic gender realignment. Many women, she says, approach the traditional male domination of academia as a challenge and “go full steam ahead” to propose innovative research projects.

Dr. Lynn Schler is a perfect example. With the closure of the African Studies department at the Hebrew University, Schler, who hold a Ph.D. in African History from Stanford University, was determined to keep this field prominent. She approached the Truman Institute and initiated the setting up of the African Labor, African Work in National and Transnational Contexts research group, which she heads. According to Schler, who also supervises the Africa Unit at the Institute, Truman’s support has enabled a high level of continuity of African Studies at the Hebrew University, which is consistent with its status as “a thriving field in the United States and Europe.”

Schler’s research is essentially focused on male issues – and thus removed from the ‘softer’ field of Women’s Studies – and her team consists only of women. While not her intention to have an all-female cast, she admits that they have created among themselves “a sense of community and mutual support for our work and career struggles.”

A fellow Africanist and a Young Truman Scholar, Dr. Liora Bigon, is similarly appreciative of the

Institute’s commitment to African Studies. Researching the “history and redesigning of urban settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa during the colonial period,” Bigon admits being unaware of the growing female presence at Truman. “It was never an issue for me,” she says, although she sees the development as “good news, indeed.”

Also not involved in Women’s Studies, but determined to make an impression at Truman, Dr. Maya Rosenfeld is coordinator of the Middle East Unit. This is the largest unit at the Institute, with 40 to 50 affiliated researchers. Dr. Rosenfeld is responsible for organizing annual lectures, events and seminars. The main topic for 2007 is “Palestinian Society, Economy and Politics in the Occupied Territories,” which is not far removed from her own research interests. While she admits that many of the lectures are not widely attended “yet”, her goal is to make Truman an important public forum for discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Although only some of the female scholars at Truman are associated with gender studies, all express unequivocal support for promoting and nurturing other women researchers. In reflecting an academic trend that seems irreversible, these women are making their mark and thriving at the Truman Institute, and, as Naama Shpeter, the current – and first female – Administrative Director puts it, “becoming joint and equal partners in the Institute’s success.”

(L–R) Dr. Lynn Schler, Dr. Ruth Roded, Dr. Liora Bigon

10 TRUMAN NEWSLETTER

Academics and diplomats flocked to attend “In the Eye of the Storm: Iran in Global Perspectives”, the stimulating conference convened jointly by the Truman Institute’s research group on Iran and The Israel Project.

Introducing the conference, Dr. Eldad Pardo, Coordinator of the Iran group, explained how he found the words of Winston Churchill describing 1939 Soviet Russia as a ‘riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’ to be even more applicable to 21st-century Iran.

The first session dealt with “Iran’s Rivals: The Western Powers.” The issues discussed were Tehran’s Global Agenda: A Disaster Waiting to Happen?; Press or Embrace: The American Dilemma; Europe, Iran and the Bomb; and Iran’s Regional Security Conception.

The second session was entitled “Iran’s Backyard: The Muslim Middle East.” Its topics were The Arab System and Iran’s Claim for Hegemony; It is All in the Eyes of the Beholder: How Iraqi Sunnis, Shi’is, Kurds and Patriots See Iran; and Competition or Cooperation? Iran in Turkish Foreign Policy.

The third session, “Iran’s Strategic Hinterland: The Asian Powers,” tackled the questions of China and Iran: Marriage of Convenience, Not Love; The Rise and Fall of the Azdegan Oil Field Deal: Evaluation of the Oil Factor in the Japan-Iran Relationship; and Russia and Iran: Still Partners in Need?

The final session discussed “Iran’s Universal Appeal,” and covered Shi’ite Iran and the Sunni World; Ahmadinejad on the Soil of the Indonesian Archipelago: Amazements, Questions and

Riddles; Iran in Africa: A Snapshot of a Big Ambition; and Iran in Latin America: Ambitions and Challenges.

Speaking about this diversified approach, Dr. Pardo said, “Our methodology has proved itself, because the people who participated really learned something new.”

A U.N. peacekeeping officer stationed in Syria traveled to Jerusalem to attend the conference on Iran organized by the Truman Institute and The Israel Project.

Lukasz Piotrowski, who had served four months with the U.N. in Syria, is a Polish citizen from Gdansk. “This is my first time in Jerusalem,” he says with a smile. “The long trip didn’t bother me. The problem was that the border is only open until 17:00 in the afternoon and I was forced to leave a day early to get to the conference in time.”

Lukasz had asked to serve with the U.N. in Iraq, but his officers placed him instead in Syria, “which is very different than any other place I am familiar with,” he says.

Peace Soldier: From Damascus to Jerusalem

Interpreting Iran:‘A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery’

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(Top): Dr. Eldad Pardo (Bottom): Dr. Arye Oded addressing the audience

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In a remarkable academic success story, Laila Abed Rabho’s achievements have been very hard-earned. As she says, there are three strikes against her: she is a woman, she is blind and she is an Arab. Yet Abed Rabho continues to rise determinedly to whatever challenges confront her. A Research Fellow at the Truman Institute – she is a member of the Gender group – and a doctoral candidate in the University’s Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, she is also the first woman to be certified as a civilian litigator in the Sharia Courts in Jerusalem.

Abed Rabho’s original plans were far more modest. Raised in Beit Safafa where she still lives, she was training to become an elementary school teacher when she suddenly and inexplicably lost her eyesight. Her inability to find work as a blind woman led her to take a B.A. at Bir Zeit University and eventually to the Hebrew University, where – after mastering first Braille, then Hebrew – she received an M.A. from the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.

In her current role as a doctoral candidate, Abed Rabho’s research is on the plight of women in the Muslim Sharia Courts, an elaboration of her master’s thesis. She has interviewed hundreds of women and found that “an overwhelming percentage have no idea of their rights, as citizens and as women.” She notes also that many women who are victims of abuse are too frightened or embarrassed to file a complaint. Others simply don’t know that it is an option. By becoming a litigator in the religious courts, Abed Rabho hopes to help change this.

This highly independent scholar knows it will be a long and slow process. But she is determined to succeed. Despite her handicap, Abed Rabho is set on completing her doctorate within the next year. And after that? She is used to taking one step at a time.

When he found out about the Iran conference in Jerusalem he tried to look at the Truman Institute’s website but was blocked by Syrian Internet providers, which do not allow access to Israeli sites. U.N. officers on the Israeli side had to prepare the material for him. “If I bring with me material connected to the Institute, the University or Israel, the Syrians will stop me at the border and a diplomatic incident will take place”, he says.

But he adds with a smile, “the conference was worth all the trouble. The speeches were very interesting and all the speakers fascinated me. I learned a lot. When I return to Syria I hope to write a detailed summary.”

Rising to the ChallengeInterpreting Iran:

“an overwhelming percentage have no idea of their rights, as citizens and as

‘A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery’ By Shelley Kleiman

(L–R) U.N. peacekeeping officer Lukasz Piotrowski, Naama Shpeter, Administrative Director of the Truman Institute, Calev Ben-David, The Israel Project

Laila Abed Rabho

Laila Abed Rabho:


“I will be a friend of the Truman Research Institute and the Hebrew University forever,” said General Colin Powell on being awarded the Truman Peace Prize.

The former Secretary of State and U.S. Army General received the Truman Peace Prize at the Gala Scopus Award Dinner in Washington D.C. on December 13, 2006. On the same occasion, Ambassador Stuart and Ms. Wilma Bernstein were given the American Friends of the Hebrew University

Scopus Award. Hundreds of friends and supporters of the Hebrew University and the Truman Institute gathered in Washington to honor General Powell and the Bernsteins at the Gala Dinner, which was chaired by Robert H. Smith.

The Truman Peace Prize was presented to General Powell by Ambassador William A. Brown, Chairman of the Truman Institute Board of Trustees, and Prof. Menachem Magidor, President of the Hebrew University.

“If you want to work for peace it requires determination, it requires sometimes the willingness to fight,” said Prof. Magidor, explaining the peace efforts of the Truman Institute. “The peace work at the Hebrew University will continue until we achieve it.”

Ambassador Brown quoted President Harry Truman’s intention at the time the Truman Institute was opened: “If you want to establish an Institute in my name, make it the Institute for Peace. I want to go down in history as the man who struggled for peace against heavy odds.” Ambassador Brown praised the honorable peace efforts of General Powell and described him “a gentleman who is truly a wonder of America, in a land of superlatives.”

On receiving the award, General Powell thanked the Truman Institute and spoke of his warm regard for the State of Israel and his aims for peace. “You will continue to hear me speak out,” he said. “Speak out for the cause of Israel, speak out for the cause of peace, speak out for the cause of reconciliation, speak out for the need to educate our young people.”

Soldier, Statesman, Diplomat:Truman Peace Prize Awarded to General Colin Powell

(L–R) Ike Sorkin, Barbara Mandel, George A. Schieren

(L–R) Stanley and Roberta Bogen

(L–R) General Colin Powell, Ambassador William A. Brown

Ernie and Rita Bogen.


The Truman Peace Prize was established by the Truman Institute to highlight the commitment of the Institute and the Hebrew University to the cause of world peace.

It is dedicated to recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to human rights, international partnership and global peace, and has been presented to:

Simone Veil, member and former President of the European Parliament, for her work in advancing peace in Europe (1991);

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General Colin L. Powell, USA (Retired), became the 65th U.S. Secretary of State on January 20, 2001. Prior to this role, General Powell was a key aide to the Secretary of Defense and National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan. Serving 35 years in the U.S. Army, he rose to the rank of Four-Star General and was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993. A highly decorated soldier, Powell was awarded many service medals. During his tenure he oversaw the Panama intervention of 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Committed to the ideals of democracy, General Powell approached the War on Terror as a diplomatic as well as a military endeavor. He led the State Department’s efforts to solve conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan, Congo, Liberia, the Balkans, Cyprus, Haiti, Northern Ireland, and in Afghanistan and Iraq. He led efforts to advance economic and social development worldwide, including the fight against HIV/AIDS and the pursuit of a more open trade and investment climate worldwide.

Raised in the South Bronx, General Powell was educated in New York City public schools. He earned a bachelor’s degree from City College of New York, and an M.B.A. from George Washington University.

General Colin L. Powell

The Truman Peace Prize

(L-R) Dr. Susan A. Gitelson, Daniel and Naomi Furman

Norwegian Foreign Minister Johan Jorgen Holst (posthumously) for his role in the Oslo Accords (1994);

U.S. Senator George Mitchell for brokering a peace agreement between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland (1999);

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke for his work as chief negotiator for the 1995 Dayton Accords that ended the war in Bosnia (2001).

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(L-R) Ambassador William A. Brown, Chairman of the Truman Institute Board of Trustees, General Colin Powell and Professor Menachem Magidor, President of the Hebrew University


Truman Talent Helps Stage Famous Shi’ite Play

The meeting in Jerusalem of the Turkish-Israeli Forum in November 2006 was the first get-together between the two sides. The Forum’s aim is to combine a public and an academic interchange between leading figures in Turkey and Israel, and the Truman Institute is its Israeli partner. This initial meeting was sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The high-powered Turkish delegation was led by Ambassador Murat Bilhan, Director of the Foreign Policy Platform at the Istanbul Culture University (IKU), and Mr. Bülent Karadeniz, Acting Chairman of SAM, the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Research Center in Ankara.

According to Forum Coordinator, Dr. Anat Lapidot-Firilla, Turkey and Israel are two countries sharing the same contextual space in the eastern Mediterranean. Both of them are part of more than one geo-political area – Europe, Asia and the Middle East. This has created two multicultural societies, each facing serious challenges, cultural, political and social. The discussions focused on the problems confronting the two countries, possible solutions to these, and ways in which each society might learn from the other.

Turks and Israelis Share Multicultural Challenges

The classic Shi’ite Passion play, The Martyrdom of Imam Hussein, re-enacting the formative myth of Iranian Shi’ite culture, was performed for the first time in Israel at the Hebrew University. The text was translated into Hebrew by Dr. Eldad Pardo and poetess Shelley Elkayam from the Truman Institute, and the premiere took place on the courtyard in front of the Institute.

The play belongs to Iran’s Ta’aziah theater, and “Ta’aziah is the Persian genre of passion plays,” explained Dr. Pardo, who lectures on Iranian history and culture at the Institute and helped to initiate the production. “The story of the martyrdom of

Imam Hussein is a major component of the Iranian Shi’ite culture.”

In their theatrical interpretation of Imam Hussein’s martyrdom, the producers combined the central myth of the Shi’ite canon with excerpts from the quintessential Jewish canon — the Hebrew Bible — including the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Selling of Joseph, and the Ten Martyrs of the Kingdom from the Yom Kippur prayers. The Ta’aziah script and biblical excerpts were intertwined to enhance each other throughout this classic play.

The story of the sacrifice of the first shahid

(L–R) Prof. Eyal Ben-Ari, Director of the Truman Institute, Ambassador Murat Bilhan, Prof. Menachem Magidor, President of the Hebrew University, Dr. Lars Hansel, Adenauer Foundation, Ekrem Guvendiren, first Turkish Ambassador to Israel, Prof. Shlomo Avineri, Mehmet Bozay, Turkish Embasssy


The future status of the Golan Heights was discussed again recently in relation to possible peace negotiations between Israel and Syria. The report of the Iraq Study Group – the Baker-Hamilton report – of January 2007 suggested the resumption of such negotiations, while an unofficial Syrian-Israeli channel reached some conclusions about the Golan in any peace agreement between Damascus and Jerusalem.

The aim of our research project is to examine the changing position of the Golan Heights in Syrian-Israeli relations, between war and peace.

Without doubt, the Golan Heights is highly significant to both Syria and Israel, from strategic-military, political-ideological and economic points of view. Until June 1967 Syria used the Golan as a base for periodic firing on Israeli villages in the Jordan Valley, as well as targeting Israeli fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. During the mid-1960s Syria also tried to divert the Banias River, a major tributary of the Jordan River, with the aim of obstructing supplies to Israel’s national water carrier, which pipes water from the Jordan to the centre of the country and the Negev.

These Syrian attempts and Israeli retaliations were a major cause of the eruption of war in June 1967, which resulted in the occupation of the Golan by Israel. This prompted Damascus to attack Israel in October 1973, and Syrian troops occupied the Golan for about a week before suffering a military defeat and relinquishing the area once again.

Since then, the Golan Heights has been a central factor in the ongoing Syrian-Israeli conflict, as well as in the peace process that began with the Madrid Peace Conference in late 1991, some ten years after Israel had formally annexed the Golan. With U.S. mediation, Damascus and Jerusalem almost reached a peace agreement in the mid-1990s and again in 2000. In these optional agreements, Israel was prepared to return the Golan to Syria under certain conditions, such as demilitarization and U.S. supervision, as well as full diplomatic relations. But for various reasons peace was not achieved between the two countries. In our research we shall analyze these reasons and examine the prospects for a stable and enduring Syrian-Israeli peace agreement.

Contentious Ground: The Golan Between Israel and Syria By Prof. Moshe Maoz

Turks and Israelis Share Multicultural Challenges

(martyr), the Holy Imam Hussein bin Ali, and the suffering of his family in the burning heat of the plain of Karbala in the year 680, is a powerful and emotional epic. After suffering severe torture for the sake of those who loved and admired him, the Imam went to his death in the landmark Battle of Karbala.

Performed before an Israeli audience, the production hinted at contemporary dilemmas faced by an Israeli society having to sacrifice lives against the backdrop of Iranian calls for its annihilation.

“Especially today, we should learn from the endless love of the Imam and put the sanctity of life above

and beyond other considerations,” says Dr. Pardo.

The play was a joint effort of the Truman Institute, the Hebrew University’s Department of Theater Studies, Beit Hillel, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, the Institute of Asian and African Studies, the Nehemia Levtzion Center for Islamic Studies, and the Dean of Students.

(Top) Poster of Taaziah play (Bottom) Performers in Taaziah play


Prof. Gershon Ben-Shakhar, the President of the Open University of Israel, is a newly appointed member of the Truman Institute's Academic Committee. Born in Jerusalem, he has been affiliated to the Hebrew University for most of his academic career. In the past, he has held the positions of Pro-Rector, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and Chair of the Department of Psychology. He is currently on leave from the University. Prof. Ben-Shakhar carried out his post-doctoral research at Chicago’s Northwestern University, and has been a visiting professor at Brandeis and Stanford Universities and the University of Toronto. His research interests include Cognitive Psychophysiology, Psychological and Educational Measurement, and Human Judgement and Decision Making.

Peace E�orts in Troubled Times: Prof. Eyal Ben-Ari Bids FarewellI am taking this opportunity to write on completion of three-and-a-half years as Director of the Truman Institute. Over this period, the Institute has had to grapple not only with the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and the Second Lebanon War, but with a series of organizational and financial challenges. I leave with a distinct feeling that we have met these challenges successfully and are well on the way to becoming a strong and vibrant Institute.

In fact, despite the ongoing conflict and the war in Lebanon, we have continued a variety of projects with Arab partners and especially with Palestinian institutes and organizations. During these past years we have successfully launched and implemented projects related to joint public opinion surveys among Palestinians and Israelis, workshops on third party intervention in the Middle East, public conferences on security and peace, seminars and briefings for political leaders and diplomats from around the globe, and we have hosted students and scholars for brief as well as extended periods of research.

Such endeavors, emphasizing continued dialogue and exploration of the means to reach an accord between the two peoples, are crucial for the future of our region. In this respect, the Truman Institute has sought to continue its main emphasis on activities related to peacekeeping in the broadest sense, and on situating itself regionally and globally in pursuit of this goal.

I will remain active at the Truman Institute and very much look forward to participating in a variety of activities in the future.

New Member for Truman Academic Committee

Prof. Eyal Ben-Ari Bids Farewell

Prof. Eyal Ben-Ari

Prof. Gershon Ben-Shakhar


In�uencing Policy:Equality for Israel’s Arab CitizensDr. Yitzhak Reiter and fellow members of the Arab Minority research group attended the Citizens Accord Forum (CAF) for Jews and Arabs in Israel to canvass ideas for promoting equality for Arab citizens. The CAF is headed by Rabbi Michael Melchior, MK, chairman of the Knesset Education Committee. Two initiatives prepared by the Forum were presented by Dr. Reiter at the second annual Jaffa Convention on Jewish-Arab Relations. First, he proposed forming an Authority to Develop and Preserve Islamic Sites of Worship. This would be based on reparations that the government would pay for waqf assets expropriated by the state under the Absentee Property Law of 1950.

Tourism Minister Yitzhak Hertzog, who was a discussant, warmly supported this idea, as did MK Ibrahim Sarsur, Dr. Rassem Khamaisi and advocate Ahmad Balaha, who put forward certain conditions to ensure the initiative’s success. Dr. Reiter’s second proposal was for an Arabic Language Academy equivalent to the Hebrew Language Academy. This was drafted into a bill by MK Ghaleb Majadle, the recently appointed Arab Muslim minister, who heads the Knesset Committee for Internal Affairs. When Dr. Reiter, MK Majadle and Dr. Mahmoud Ghanaim presented the bill at the Knesset Education Committee, all eleven MKs – both Jews and Arabs – from across the political spectrum unanimously approved it. In March, the Knesset passed a law to establish the Academy.

The top-ranking political consultant, Michael Shannon, spoke on “Public Opinion and Iran’s Nuclear Project: U.S. and Europe Polls Analysis” at a lecture convened by the Truman Institute and The Israel Project (TIP).

Calev Ben-David, head of TIP’s Jerusalem branch, explained the speaker’s wide polling experience on Iran’s nuclear project. Meagan Buren of TIP outlined the polls already undertaken, mainly in the US, UK, France and Germany. She explained the favorability rates of the public towards Iran, mostly during and after the Second Lebanon War.

Nuclear Iran: Opinion Polls and the Message PyramidNuclear Iran: Opinion Polls and the Message PyramidNuclear Iran: Opinion Polls and the Message PyramidNuclear Iran: Opinion Polls and the Message Pyramid

Naama Shpeter, Administrative Director of the Truman Institute, Dr. Eldad Pardo, Calev Ben- David, The Israel Project, Michael Shannon

Of the three European countries, the U.K. has the highest favorability rate toward Iran. Germany, on the other hand, has high unfavorability rates, whereas France started out with more favorable rates and then developed a less favorable view during the course of the war.

Shannon focused much of his attention on how Israel can best convey its messages to the public. Using the model of a ‘message pyramid’, he explained how those with the knowledge and information at the top (a mere 1% of the population) need to find a way of spreading their message down the pyramid to those with less knowledge, or even none at all, of the issues in hand (close to 75% of the population). By taking complicated issues and simplifying them so that people can see how they are affected personally, the message can filter down to the bottom of the pyramid. Because many issues are neither relevant nor easily understood, Shannon limited his Iran polling to a few target messages: sponsorship of terror, extremist ideology, Holocaust denial, destabilization by Islamists, and nuclear or weapons development.

Dr. Yitzhak Reiter


The Abba Eban Centre for Israeli Diplomacy at the Truman Institute has revamped its physical appearance over the last few months. This important meeting place for politicians, diplomats, ambassadors and researchers from around the world was renovated to create a hall for conferences, lectures and meetings. The new hall has been designed and equipped with the latest technologies, to accommodate the needs of the various activities that take place at the Centre.

Israeli Diplomats Share InsightsSenior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented a series of three lectures at the Abba Eban Centre for Israeli Diplomacy.

The lecture room at the Truman Institute was filled for the address by Danny Nevo, former Israeli Ambassador to Jordan, who gave his impressions of serving in Amman between June 2000 and September 2006.

“Islam and Political Stability in Egypt” was the focus of the lecture by Ayellet Yehiav, Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Center for Political Research. Former Israeli ambassadors came to hear him on this subject, as well as the Institute’s own researchers.

A regional overview, “The Radical Challenge and Strategic Equation in the Middle East,” was presented by Nimrod Barkan from the Center for Political Research, and opened up a wider discussion.

(L–R) Nimrod Barkan, Center for Political Research, Yoram Shani, Abba Eban Centre Coordinator

(L-R) Ayellet Yehiav, Aryeh Levin, former Ambassador to Russia, Danny Nevo, Yoram Shani, Abba Eban Centre Coordinator

New Look for Diplomacy Centre

T h e A b b a E b a n C e n t r e f o r I s r a e l i D i p l o m a c y


Singapore Sends Delegates A delegation from Singapore’s Foreign Ministry visited the Truman Institute, headed by Mr. Bilahari Kausikan, Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry. The delegates and their hosts at the Abba Eban Centre were accompanied by Yaron Mayer, Deputy Director of the Southeast Asia Department of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The group was given a review of the current situation in the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iranian threat by Truman experts.

Telling it Like it is: Educating Russian Diplomats about IsraelFifteen diplomatic cadets from Russia participated in a two-week seminar on “Israel in the Middle East,” organized by the Abba Eban Centre for Israeli Diplomacy. The seminar was developed in cooperation with the Russian Friends of the Hebrew University. The cadets were an elite group from the MGIMO Diplomatic Academy, Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, Tomsk University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Russia’s Diplomatic Corps.

The participants, headed by Dr. Anna Simonova, Director of the Russian Friends of the University, attended Hebrew and Arabic language classes and lectures from the Institute’s leading experts. The topics were wide-ranging – the Arab Minority in Israel, Israeli Society in Conflict, the Iranian Dilemma, Jordan’s Democracy, Between Peace and Justice: Tensions in Reconciliation in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Relations between Syria, Lebanon and Israel, Arabs and Palestinians in Israel, and the Political Economy in the Middle East. The cadets were already well-informed and their intellectual curiosity sparked challenging questions and debates.

At the opening reception, the students were greeted by the Truman Institute’s staff and by Mr. Avi Armoni, the Hebrew University’s Vice President for External Relations. A representative of the Russian Embassy in Israel emphasized the seminar’s importance, especially during these tense and difficult times in the Middle East. The students were given an organized tour of the Mt. Scopus campus by a member of the University’s Russian Desk.

At the closing event, Prof. Haim Rabinowitch, Rector of the Hebrew University, spoke to the cadets about the University and its various fields of study and research. He encouraged them to visit Israel again and to maintain ties with the University. Truman Director Prof. Eyal Ben-Ari presented them with graduation certificates.

This seminar will be repeated in July 2007, when another group of Russian cadets will come to the Truman Institute.

a review of the current situation in the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian


The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign PolicyEdited by Brenda Sha�er The widely held view that culture – including religion and civilizational identity – is a primary factor in international politics is examined by Shaffer and her contributors. The “clash of civilizations” theory maintains that the root of conflict is often religious beliefs. The book focuses on Caspian Basin countries, including Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan. These Islamic nations are ideal test cases for examining the role of culture in foreign policy. The region is also internationally significant for its vast reserves of oil and gas, and it hosts U.S. military bases. The book’s conclusion is that culture is rarely more important than other factors in shaping foreign policy. These countries frequently align with one another when they do not share religious beliefs or cultural heritage, and, in general, pursue policies consistent with their material interests.

Israel's Years of Bogus Grandeur: From the Six-Day War to the First IntifadaBy Nissim Rejwan Rejwan, an Iraqi-born Jew, tackles thorny questions about the effects of the Six-Day War, and in particular the growing hegemony of Ashkenazi Jews over Mizrachi (Oriental) Jews and Arab Israelis. On the eve of 1967, Israel was a 19-year-old state still feeling its way, and issues of identity and transition were hotly debated. Was Israel a Jewish or a democratic state – or both? And who was a Jew? These questions became more critical after the war, with Israel’s control of Palestinian territories and the emergence of an internal Mizrachi/Arab majority, comprised of Jews from Arab lands, Muslims, Druze and Christian Arabs. Yet European Jews continued to dominate the country. Rejwan, whose own position was tied to the answers, encouraged a more pluralistic approach – and lost his job. He reflects on those days with unwavering honesty and feisty wit.

Remaking Israeli Judaism By Batia Siebzehner and David Lehmann This is the first comprehensive account of Shas, the movement that began in the early 1980s and created an upheaval in Israeli politics by proclaiming religious and ethnic revival in the name of the country’s Sephardim – the 45 percent of Jews who are of North African and Middle Eastern origin. In a direct challenge to the secularism of the country’s elite, and a sustained protest against the social deprivations suffered by Sephardim, Shas became a major political force and the spearhead of a campaign to return to strict religious observance. This dynamic has been reshaping religion and culture in Israel ever since, and has deepened the secular-religious divide. The book is also a contribution to the study of religious fundamentalism and conversion-led movements worldwide, notably through comparisons with Latin America.



The Palestinian Peasant Economy under the Mandate: A Story of Colonial Bungling By Amos Nadan The claim that Palestine’s peasant economy progressed during the 1920s and 1930s is challenged by Nadan, who skillfully integrates a variety of sources to demonstrate that the period was one of deterioration, on both the macro (per capita) and micro levels. He shows that the economy would probably have continued its downward spiral during the 1940s but for the temporary prosperity produced by World War II. He argues that this deterioration continued despite the British authorities’ channeling of funds from the Jewish sector and from wealthier Arab sectors into the Arab rural economy, in the hope that Palestine's peasants would not rebel if their economic conditions improved. But the programs the Mandate government initiated were on the whole defective, being based on an assumption that the peasants were too ignorant to manage their farms wisely, instead of working with the peasants and their indigenous institutions.

Caucasus Jews in Dagestan: Identity and Survival By Chen Bram The immense wave of emigration in the 1990s left fewer than 4,000 Jews living in the mountain regions of the Autonomous Republic of Daghestan in the Caucasus. The author focuses on the struggle of the remaining community with issues relating to Jewish existence and community survival. Some problems have arisen from the geopolitical characteristics of the region and the changes affecting this area, such as the conflict in neighboring Chechnya. According to government policy, the ‘Mountain Jews’ were considered members of the Tat ethnic group. This local ideology allowed Dagestan Jewry certain privileges, but created dilemmas about their Jewish identity and their relations with Jews in general.

Disengaging from the Strip: Ariel Sharon and Israel's Withdrawal from the Gaza Strip By Nadir Tsur The withdrawal from the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation may one day be seen as a seminal event in the debate about Jewish identity. This book describes the evacuation of the Gush Khatif block and four settlements in the northern West Bank. The disengagement plan exposed the enduring and multidimensional conflict between rival groups in society over Israel’s permanent borders and its political-religious character. The confrontation was initiated by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon – the man regarded as “the father of the settlements.” He chose to take a unilateral decision, and to transfer into Palestinian hands an area that had been occupied by Israel since 1967. Nevertheless, this painful concession did not bring peace closer and did not reduce terrorist attacks. Tsur discusses Sharon’s political career in relation to this momentous decision.


2 0 0 7THE HARRY S. TRUMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PEACEn u m b e r 3

ADI BRENDER

DOES MUNICIPAL SEGREGATION

ALLEVIATE THE ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE

OF ISRAELI ARABS?

LOCAL TAX COLLECTION

AS AN INDICATOR

Perspectives on Middle East

Socioeconomic Issues:

The Israeli Arabs

A m o s N a d a n • E d i t o r

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The Israeli Arabs

RUTH KLINOV and MERAV OREN-YIFTACH

DO ARAB AND JEWISH MARKETS

WITHIN ISRAEL CONVERGE?

A CASE STUDY

OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES,

1993-2004


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HAYIEL HINO

THE EFFECTS

OF ECONOMIC

AND SOCIAL-CULTURAL FACTORS

ON RETAIL MODERNIZATION:

THE CASE OF THE ISRAELI-ARAB COMMUNITY



The Israeli Arabs


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Good Arabs: The Israeli Intelligence and the Israeli Arabs [in Hebrew] By Hillel Cohen The untold story of the complicated relationship between Israeli security agencies – the army, the police and the Shin Bet – and the Arab citizens of Israel between 1948 and 1967 is revealed by Cohen’s painstaking research. Through a mosaic of small, local stories of collaborators and rebels, military governors and political activists, mukhtars and ordinary people, he presents the variety of attitudes within Israeli Arab communities toward the state, and the mechanisms by which the state attempted to shape the identity of its Arab citizens. The book also shows the deep infiltration of Israeli intelligence into Palestinian Arab society, the surveillance over Arab teachers and students, and the resistance of the Druse to what some called the “treaty of blood” with the Jewish state. This fascinating account is based mainly on hitherto top-secret Israeli documents, and is a sequel to the author’s Army of Shadows: Palestinian Collaboration with Zionism 1917-1948, to be published this year by University of California Press.

Perspectives on Middle East Socioeconomic Issues: The Israeli ArabsEdited by Amos Nadan The first in this new series published by the Truman Institute is Do Arab and Jewish Markets within Israel Converge? A Case Study of Fruit and Vegetables 1993-2004, by Ruth Klinov and Merav Oren-Yiftach.

The second, by Hayiel Hino, examines The Effects of Economic and Social-Cultural Factors on Retail Modernization: The Case of the Israeli-ArabCommunity.

The third publication, by Adi Brender, poses the question, Does Municipal Segregation Alleviate the Economic Disadvantage of Israeli Arabs? Local Tax Collection as an Indicator.


Gitelson Peace PublicationsBetween M-Otherness and Identity: Narratives of the “Four Mothers” and the “Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo” By Sara Lazar The impact of political motherhood as expressed by two movements in different parts of the world – the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina and the Four Mothers in Israel – is analyzed in this publication.

Challenging the state apparatus, the women transformed the patriarchal maternal rhetoric – their ‘M-Otherness’ – into contentious syntax in the political arena. The report looks at how they linked their well-publicized collective action with a wider “cycle of social protest,” building broad public support and providing legitimacy to their discourse. As mothers, they sought to ascertain the safety of their loved ones; as political actors, their primordial commitment made possible the expression of social protest in ethical terms.

“Transferred to Gaza of their Own Accord”: The Arabs of Majdal in Ashkelon and their Evacuation to the Gaza Strip in 1950By Orna CohenDuring the year 1950, nearly the entire Arab population of the city of Majdal-Ashkelon was transferred to the Gaza Strip – then under Egyptian rule – and only a minority remained in Israel. This essay examines the claim by Israeli authorities that the evacuation was in accordance with the wishes of the Majdal Arabs, and the counterclaims that it was the result of various pressures brought to bear on the local Arab population.

The Gitelson Peace Publications are published with the generous support of Dr. Susan Gitelson, a member of the Truman Institute Board of Trustees. They cover issues of international and regional cooperation, showcasing the research achievements of Truman scholars, visitors and distinguished contributors. In addition, they help to extend the Institute’s academic contacts across the world and to create links with Arab universities.

General Editor: Naama ShpeterLanguage Editor: Virginia MyersAdministrative Assistants: Anat Mishali, Malky RosenthalDesign: www.JanisDesign.netPhotography: Sasson Tiram The Harry S. Truman Research InstituteFor the Advancement of PeaceThe Hebrew University of JerusalemJerusalem 91905, IsraelTel: 972-2-5882300 Fax: 972-2-5828076E-mail: [email protected]: http://truman.huji.ac.il


Statistical Information on the Truman Institute

Founded in 1965Since its establishment:More than 400 research fellowsMore than 1,800 research projects

At present:84 research fellows and scholars12 visiting researchers from around the worldAn average of 75 lectures per year5 regional research units6 research groups6 special research projects

Governing BodyChairman: Ambassador William A. Brown

Administrative Director: Naama Shpeter

Board of TrusteesErnest Bogen

Stanley M. Bogen

Stanley Chais

Daniel Furman

Arnon Gafny

Dr. Susan A. Gitelson

Lawrence E. Glick

Dan Halperin

Isaac Kaye

Dr. David Kimche

Harvey M. Krueger

Todd S. Lundy

Prof. Menachem Magidor (ex officio), President The Hebrew University

Barbara A. Mandel

Reuven Merhav

Dr. Leonard Polonksy

Prof. Haim D. Rabinowitch (ex officio), Rector The Hebrew University

George A. Schieren (ex officio), President American Friends of the Hebrew University

Ike Sorkin

Adv. Wafa Zoubi-Fahoum

Honorary Members of the Board of TrusteesSamuel Rothberg, Honorary Chairman

Senator Rudy Boschwitz

Senator Daniel Inouye

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg

Senator Howard M. Metzenbaum

Senator Arlen Specter

Governor Pete Wilson

Academic CommitteeProf. Haim D. Rabinowitch, Rector, HU

Prof. Reuven Amitai

Prof. Victor Azarya

Prof. Muhammad Haj-Yahia

Dr. Moshe Hirsch

Prof. Steven Kaplan

Dr. Rachel Milstein

Prof. Alfred Tovias

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