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Israeli Expert Lectures at A.C

Abba Eban, well-known statesman and former Israeli
ambassador to the United States, lectured on Israel and tlie
Middle East as part of the Fourth Annual Reverend Thomas
J. Furphy Memorial Lecture Series held on October 21.
1987 at Allentown College. Eban, who frequently lectures on
international and Middle Eastern affairs, spoke in an
entertaining but serious manner regarding Israel, its past
successes and failures, and the current situation in the
surrounding countries.
After having expressed his enthusiastic support lor the
United States' action in the Persian Gulf, Eban focused on
the state of Israel. Since 1948, he noted, there has been a
significant change politically and militarily in the country.
He commented on the nation's rise to power after the Six
Day War of 1967, which was the turning point for Israel in
the strife-filled Middle East. The military consequences of
the war were enormous. Every Arab neighbor suffered
massive military losses and, subsequently, Israel was seen as
a major Middle Eastern power.
According to Eban, the war gave Israel a power that it
had never had before — negotiating power. That is to say,
the land that Israel gained militarily gave them something
with which to negotiate. More importantly, however, the
victory gave Israel the idea that it could dictate the future
of the Middle East.

This was an erroneous belief, and its consequences are
still visible today. Israel has moved from its previous
doctrine of deterrence and is moving toward what Eban
referred to as a doctrine of compellance. Deterrence means
using military strength to prevent outbreaks of hostility;
compellance means making others act as one wishes them to
act. Two examples of change in doctrine are the invasion of
Lebanon in 1981 and the handling of the Palestinian
problem.
Eban believes that the United States and the Soviet Union
have a definite peace-keeping role in the Middle East. He
feels that both superpowers are obligated to get and stay
involved in Middle Eastern affairs, adding that by
encouraging meetings between heads of state they can
appropriately assist these nations in determining a peaceful
future.
Besides being the former ambassador to the United States
from 1950 to 1959, Eban has held a number of other
important posts in the Israeli government. These include:
Minister of Education and Culture (1960-1963), Deputy
Prime Minister (1963-1966), and Minister of Foreign Affairs
(1966-1970). He is also known for the books he has written
and for his hosting of a PBS television series, “Heritage:
Civilization and the Jews.”

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