Agonizing Reappraisal for Arabs - Norman Cousins - November 1975

Norman Cousins

Most of the attention given to the Israeli-Egyptian accord has been directed to the terms of the agreement engineered by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Of equal importance has been the effect of the pact on the politics of the Arab world. The biggest change of all is the, psychological one. Before the Israeli-Egyptian agreement was concluded, there was virtually a united front inside the Arab world against any recognition of Israel as a state. In the very act of signing an accord with Israel, however, Egypt has accepted Israel's right to make commitments as a nation. This does not constitute formal recognition, to be sure, but recognition is implied and the long- "term implications have produced shock waves throughout the Arab world. The fact that the leading Arab nation would seek to be at peace with Israel- even though the agreement is an interim one - has confronted the Arab peoples with the need for an agonizing reappraisal. - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library