546
PARTISAN REVIEW
TK:
The Arabs in Jerusalem are good patriots and they demand more
things than is reasonable. You see, the capital of Saudi Arabia is not in Mecca
and not in Medina. It is in a little country town, Riyad, so that religious rights
should be observed and preserved. So why should their capital be in
Jerusalem, what has the one to do with the other? Unlike us, the Jews,
whose political and religious capital has always been Jerusalem and only
Jerusalem.
EK:
It
is said in much of the press that the people who are against Israel
outside of the country are Jewish. And it is said that this has to do with Jew–
ish self-hatred which seems to be picked up as a kind of anti-Israel attitude in
the place of anti-Semitism.
TK:
Maybe there is something in that, I don't know. I spent last night with
Abe Rosenthal, who for twenty years was the editor of
The New York
Times,
and he for one has none of these complexes.
EK:
He's the only one on
The Times
who is good to you. He's a minority.
TK:
No, I think Frankel is just as friendly.
EK:
But he doesn't write editorials.
TK:
He isn't in charge of the editorial page, isn't that a man named Gelb?
EK:
I'm not sure. Unfortunately, for every pro-Israel piece on the op-ed
page there is certain to be one against it, too.
WP
Well, what about Anthony Lewis?
TK:
He's a left, ultra-liberal ideologue.
WP:
Okay, we agree.
EK:
What disturbs us is that what we see as a positive thing here, the open
discussion as a sign of true democracy, is picked up over there in a one-sided
way. "If even the Israelis say it," we hear, "it really must be worse." Do
you see any way of influencing this situation?
TK:
Not that I would know. I don't think it's very important. It's not pleasant
though.
EK: Don't you think it can influence American foreign policy towards Israel?
After all, American politicians go by what the electorate seems to want.
TK:
I don't think so. I hope not. I don't think the press has that much to say.
I wouldn't know what to do about it anyway. Besides, it's really not my
concern. I'm concerned solely with Jerusalem, with putting the idea of
Jerusalem across. I don't try to solve any bigger problems.
EK:
But isn't the Jerusalem problem pretty big, especially when they start to
talk
about a possible partitioning?
TK:
Let them talk. I don't think it will happen.
WP:
There's an awful lot of irresponsible talk.
TK:
So what can you do? You see, we have to live by our standards, and
not anyone else's. We can't allow Jewish vigilantes. And because we live by
