Barbara Greenspun remembers 1978: Peace advice still fits today

Friday, Jan. 19, 2001 | 9:22 a.m.

Hank didn't take my wishes to become a photographer seriously, but I persevered and much to my delight some of my efforts did show up in the pages of the Sun in February of 1978.

I shall never forget the trips to Israel with Hank as he shuffled back and forth between high-ranking officials in Israel and Egypt in search of peace.

I remember Hank comparing the situation in the Middle East as "one vast Persian bazaar where only the rankest of suckers pay the first price asked. Negotiations of any kind, whether it's for a string of beads or a peace of settlement, requires the patience of Job and the haggling of a fishwife before the final terms are agreed upon."

In 1978 Hank cautioned then-President Jimmy Carter against meddling in the peace process. Hank wrote: "To bring both sides to the table, the U.S. must start concentrating on mediating instead of meddling, because Israel will never give in to pressure from any source." And that advice is as fitting today as it was in 1978.