WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS OCTOBER 2018ARLENE SAYEGH: A PEN PAL AND
DIFFERENCE MAKER
Many years ago I wrote a column sympa-
thetic to the Palestinian people for the
local newspaper. A local resident clipped
it and sent it to her sister in Whittier, CA
The California sister was Arlene Sayegh
who, after graduating from Brigham
Young University, went to New York for a
job at the United Nations.
It was there that she met and married
Fayez Sayegh, the top-ranking Palestin-
ian in this country. She quickly embraced
his cause. She began writing to me and
giving me subscriptions to various publi-
cations, including your own. That greatly
widened my understanding of what is re-
ally going on over there.
Because of her help I was able to
open the eyes of hundreds of otherwise
Israel-supporting young conservatives in
my classes at Weber State University.
Arlene died as a result of a car acci-
dent in California about two months ago.
I’m already greatly missing my pen pal.
In her quiet way, Arlene continued the
work of her late husband, Fayez Sayegh.
I would hope that she could be remem-
bered for all that she did.
M.J. Ogden, Ogden, UT
We are very sorry to hear about the
death of your long-time pen pal (please
see her obituary on p. 72).We are also
greatly inspired by the relationship you
shared with Arlene! Change only occurs
when like-minded people network and di-
alogue—and use their energies to find
ways to educate their fellow citizens. The
Washington Report exists so that people
like your students at Weber State Univer-
sity can have their eyes opened to a way
of thinking that is rarely presented by the
mainstream media. We encourage you
and all our readers to continue passing
out copies of this magazine—and any
other relevant publication—to those
whose minds are open to thinking more
critically about the Middle East! Also
give gift subscriptions to your friends,
and encourage your public and univer-
sity libraries to subscribe to the Washing-
ton Report!REACHING MORE PEOPLE
If only five or six mainline U.S. newspa-
pers would print the article by MohammedOmer, “Another Lost Generation in Gaza,”
from the August/September 2018 issue of
the Washington Report, it many not
change many minds in Congress, but it
would bring the story of Gaza to the mil-
lions of U.S. humanists who truly believe
in protecting children.
How can the “American Street” know
what is happening when only the Wash-
ington Reportbrings out the truth? How
many read your excellent magazine?
We are enclosing a contribution so
that more issues reach the person on the
street. We always circulate our copies of
the magazine.
Rizek and Alice Abusharr, Claremont,
CA
Thank you for your donation! We too
are frustrated by the dearth of quality in-
formation on the Middle East available in
the U.S. press. We do believe, however,
that a growing number Americans are be-
coming aware about the various injus-
tices in the region, and the role their gov-
ernment has played in initiating and per-
petuating these atrocities. Decades-long
U.S. support for Israel is, of course, at the
center of many of the region’s issues. We
will not stop our reporting on the merit-
less U.S.-Israel “special relationship.”IS THE MEDIA REALLY CHANGING?
Philip Weiss’ piece “Killing Palestinian Pro-
testers Turns Into a PR Debacle for Israel”
(“Other Voices,” supplement of the May
2018 issue) mainly considers alternative
media reports. Why didn’t he focus on
mainstream media reports? News reports
by Fox, CBS, NBC, AP and others feature
video of protesters throwing stones, shoot-
ing slingshots, and allegedly ‘hurling fire-
bombs’—all amid fires, billowing black
smoke and running masked figures look-
ing to all the world like rioters and terror-
ists. This is what the vast majority of
Americans saw and absorbed, not reports
from the marginal—and to most Ameri-
cans unfamiliar—sources Weiss cites.
As usual, Israel’s PR establishment is
counterattacking to neutralize any criti-
cism of these atrocities that made it
through major media filters. The Pales-
tinians have fallen into the trap of letting
Israel appear to be simply defending it-
self. There’s only one way to escape this
trap: avoiding even the appearance of vi-
olence in the tradition of Gandhi and Dr.6Managing Editor: JANET McMAHON
News Editor: DELINDA C. HANLEY
Editor: DALE SPRUSANSKY
Middle East Books
and More Director: AMIN GHARAD
Finance & Admin. Dir.: CHARLES R. CARTER
Art Director: RALPH-UWE SCHERER
Founding Publisher: ANDREW I. KILLGORE
(1919-2016)
Founding Exec. Editor: RICHARD H. CURTISS
(1927-2013)
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (ISSN
8 755-4917) is published 7 times a year, monthly except
Jan./Feb., March/April, June/July and Aug./Sept. com-
bined, at 1902 18th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009-
1 707. Tel. (202) 939-6050. Subscription prices (United
States and possessions): one year, $29; two years, $55;
three years, $75. For Canadian and Mexican subscrip-
tions, $35 per year; for other foreign subscriptions, $
per year. Periodicals, postage paid at Washington, DC
and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send ad-
dress changes to Washington Report on Middle East
Affairs, P.O. Box 91056, Long Beach, CA 90809-1056.
Published by the American Educational Trust (AET), a
non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, DC by
retired U.S. foreign service officers to provide the Ameri-
can public with balanced and accurate information
concerning U.S. relations with Middle Eastern states.
AET’s Foreign Policy Committee has included former U.S.
ambassadors, government officials, and members of
Con gress, including the late Demo cratic Sen. J. William
Fulbright and Republican Sen. Charles Percy, both former
chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Members of AET’s Board of Directors and advisory com-
mittees receive no fees for their services.
The Washington Report on Middle East
Affairsdoes not take partisan domestic political
positions. As a solution to the Palestinian- Israeli dispute,
it endorses U.N. Security Council Resolution 242’s land-
for-peace formula, supported by nine successive U.S.
presidents. In general, it supports Middle East solutions
which it judges to be consistent with the charter of the
United Nations and traditional American support for
human rights, self-determination, and fair play.
Material from the WashingtonReportmay be
reprinted without charge with attribution to Washington
ReportonMiddleEastAffairs. Bylined material must also
be attributed to the author. This release does not apply
to photo graphs, cartoons or reprints from other publica-
tions.
Indexed by ProQuest, Gale, Ebsco Information Ser-
vices,Info Trac,LexisNexis, Public Affairs Information
Service,Index to Jewish Periodicals,Ethnic News
Watch,Periodica Islamica.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Editorial Office and Bookstore:
P.O. Box 53062, Washington, DC 20009-
Phone: (202) 939-6050 •(800) 368-
Fax: (202) 265-
E-mail:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Web sites:
http://www.wrmea.org
http://www.middleeastbooks.com
Subscriptions, sample copies and donations:
P.O. Box 91056, Long Beach, CA 90809-1056.
Phone: (888) 881-5861 •Fax: (714) 226-
Printed in the USALetters tothe Editor
lte_6-7.qxp_October 2018 Letters to Editor 8/29/18 4:23 PM Page 6