i. My father, Moshe (Morris Jewish Rights in the Middle East Mizrahi) paid for a lifetime Hsubscription of The Scribe to be and the Peace Process sent to him in Los Angeles several years ago, but has not received a new issue for srael is accused of occupying Arab Disregard the Balfour Declaration over 2 years now. He so looked forward lands and oppressing the Palestinians. which became a dead letter, and to receiving his subscription twice a year. What is the truth? Zionism which has succeeded in I Is this due to some lack of funds on your bringing Jews to Israel but has failed to When the Ottoman Empire was part or an oversight? Please let me know. come to terms with the Arabs. At the broken up in 1917 all the Middle East If you are still sending out the Scribe in break-up of the Ottoman Empire Jews was given over to the Arabs without magazine form, please do so to his should have been entitled to at least regard to the rights of self-determination address in Los Angeles: 20,000 square miles, more than the of the other nationalities, mainly the total area of Palestine, west of the Barry Mizrahi Los Angeles Jews and the Kurds. Jordan River. As such, Israel is entitled [email protected] Look at the statistics: the population to the whole of that area and the figures of the vilayet of Baghdad as given Palestinians should regard trans-Jordan Scribe: by the last official yearbook of 1916 – as their national home. That should be The last printed issue in a magazine Jews numbered 80,000 out of a total the basis of any just and lasting form of The Scribe was published and population of 202,200. In the Baghdad settlement between Jews and Arabs in sent out in September 1999, which we Chamber of Commerce up to 1946, most the Middle East.♦ assume your father has received. Since of the members were Jews and half the then it has been on the internet at… Administrative Council were Jews. www.scribe1.com or ℘℘℘℘℘ www.thescribe.uk.com and is no longer issued as a printed magazine. The current issue is on the A Show-er, A Blower internet now. If you or your father wish to receive future issues by email, please n Victorian and Edwardian times, a In Baghdad, before the advent of let me know. gentleman had to carry two clean paper and plastic bags, a show-er was Alternatively a computer colour print- used as a shopping bag by some men, by Ihandkerchiefs every day - a show-er out can be obtained by sending a cheque tying or holding the corners together, in the breast pocket which was in fact for US $20 to: designed to accommodate it, and a enabling a businessman to take home blower in the trousers pocket. fresh fruit for lunch. The Exilarch’s Foundation 4 Carlos Place Nowadays, the new generations find it As its name implies, a show-er is for Mayfair more convenient just to carry paper show only, but was available to a lady London tissues than cloth handkerchiefs. companion, who would pull it out and use W1K 3AW it in an emergency. She would keep it and Etiquette… When a towel is used in a England return it next day, washed and ironed. A guest toilet, it should be left in a With regard to subscriptions: we never blower once used, should not be folded crumpled state to show that it had been accepted subscriptions, whether annual but crumpled and returned to the pocket. used. At the dinner table a guest must or lifetime, or advertising for that matter. Both handkerchiefs had to be changed leave his napkin not folded, otherwise it Please give particulars of your claim. ♦ each day but, after the shock of the may suggest that he wants to come again. Great War, the rule was relaxed a little Etiquette… Never give a handkerchief ℘℘℘℘℘ in that yesterday’s show-er, if unused, as a present as it may be taken to mean could become today’s blower. for wiping off the tears. ♦ ℘℘℘℘℘ was passing your premises today Reply: The Scribe belongs and noticed your brass plate. Being With reference to your letter dated 29 to the ages Ivery interested in London’s January, we are a Charitable Foundation. buildings and their occupants, I should The Exilarch was the Head of the Jewish ll the issues of The be very grateful if you could tell me community of Iraq, going back to King Scribe, since it something about your organisation, its Yehoyakhin, who was the first Exilarch. started in 1971, will history and how long you have occupied This office lasted until 1270 when it A the premises. lapsed after the Mongol invasion of the soon be on our website and Middle East. The office was revived by will be found in the I do not think I have ever heard of the Mr Naim Dangoor in 1970 after a gap of “archive” Exilarch’s Foundation. Your help would 700 years. be very much appreciated. We enclose a copy of our publication Garth Andrews London which you may find of interest. ♦ 38 The Scribe No.74 Barak's View of the Future: Die or Separate Israelis and the Palestinians I am confident that we did the right sovereignty. The real objective of Camp just can’t live together, says thing for the future of Israel. When I took David was to know if we had a serious power, there was only one path that I partner who was ready to accept such far- Camp David’s peacemaker found reasonable - either to unmask reaching ideas as a basis for an agreement. by Lally Weymouth Arafat or to take calculated risks if we You were ready to give up the Jordan found him a Palestinian Sadat, ready to Valley, which Rabin said was n his first interview since he was put an end to the conflict. strategically crucial. defeated last February, former Israeli Are you saying you went to Camp In exchange for an end to the Israeli- prime minister Ehud Barak sat down I David to expose Arafat? Arab conflict, we were ready to and discussed Camp David, Yasir Arafat No. Arafat is a highly sophisticated and contemplate far-reaching risks. But and the bleak legacy of his peacemaking cunning rival. He is not easy to penetrate, Arafat refused. He said, "I cannot take efforts with Newsweek’s Lally Weymouth. and it’s not easy to understand his real these ideas as a basis for negotiation. And Excerpts: intentions. Oslo was based on a set of I demand the right of return and full WEYMOUTH: Is there any chance assumptions that if he was recalled from sovereignty over the Temple Mount". for Israel to arrive at a negotiated Tunisia to Gaza and the West Bank, if a This is a euphemism for the elimination agreement with the Palestinians while kind of political authority was established of Israel, and no Israeli government will Arafat is still in power? for him and he was exposed to meeting accept it. There is a thin line between a BARAK: My feeling is that we won’t the daily needs of his own people, if he calculated risk and yielding to terror. I have a peace agreement with Arafat. He’s was treated as a future leader of a state, never intended to cross this line. not a Palestinian Sadat or a Palestinian this would transform him from a leader of People criticise you for not having King Hussein. Arafat turned to violence a terrorist organization into a responsible built a personal rapport with Arafat after Camp David. Camp David was a leader of a future state. So it was not a before and at Camp David. conspiracy or a trick to push Arafat into a moment of truth… It was an end to what It’s ridiculous. Can you remember what trap. You cannot know the other side’s Arafat had done for years - namely, talk in kind of rapport existed between Begin intentions without being willing to take English about his readiness to make peace and Sadat? They hardly talked to each certain risks. and in Arabic about eliminating Israel in other, but they were leaders. stages. He decided that only by turning to What did you think the chances were? Some say you made a mistake to start violence could he once again create world At the beginning I thought it was maybe negotiating with Syria and that by the sympathy. Arafat believed that pictures of 50-50. Maybe it was just his way to delay time you turned to Arafat it was too late. young Palestinians facing Israeli tanks the moment of truth and reach it with the No, it was clear [Syrian President would compensate for his failure. His maximum political capital. But during Hafez] Assad was ageing, and after he indifference to Palestinian casualties and and after Camp David, it became clear died we would enter along period of loss of life… is a kind of a Palestinian that we didn’t have the kind of leader we uncertainty. tragedy. If they were a democratic society hoped for, that could make the decisions, they would replace him. a Sadat-like leader. Then it became But you pulled out of Lebanon and did not get an agreement with Syria. There are reports that the Israeli important to expose him. That was the Was that a mistake? cabinet Is considering authorising the pre-condition for the Israeli unity which Army to enter Palestinian territories to Sharon enjoys.