Viking_Yearbook_94

Sept. 13,1993 White House Associated Press O n a sunny day in the fall, three American presidents gawked in awe, just like everyone else, at a sudden turn toward peace. All eyes were on two old enemies in their new roles as peacemakers, men who say"salaam in Arabic or "shalom" in Hebrew. Their handshake --the grasp by Arab Yasser Arafat of the hand of Jew Yitzhak Rabin - brought a gasp, a shout, and finally applause from several thousand people on the White House lawn. A few minutes earlier Rabin's Israel and Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization had signed a peace treaty that once seemed unimaginable. The PLO recognized the right of Israel to live in peace; Israel, in turn, recognized the PLO as the representative of Palestinians. President Clinton, who guided Arafat and Rabin toward their historic handshake, called it a "great occasion of history and hope. Monday, The Big Picture 35