Viking_Yearbook_95

T wo men who had regarded each other with suspicion for six decades shook hands on the South Lawn of the White House, and once again peace in the Middle East seemed more than a dream. A year after he shook the hand of Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin did the same with King Hussein of Jordan. The two nations had been enemies since the creation of Israel; in 1948 following a brief, bitter war between the Jews and Arabs. The war drove thousands of Arab Palestines into Jordan, creating a class of refugees and deep hatred on both sides of the river Jordan. "Out of all the days of my life," Hussein said at the White House peace ceremony, "1 don't believe there is one such as this." President Clinton, who played host as Rabin and Hussein signed an agreement, shared their optimism. The old enemies, he said, "give their people a new currency of hope and the chance to prosper in a region of peace." Courtesy ofAssociated Press 28