Educating the Enemy

To most of the 5,000 Egyptians captured in the Sinai campaign, the image of Israel was the one Nasser's radio had given them--a contemptible land of near starvation kept alive by U.S. subsidies, needing only one quick and timely push by the Arabs to shove it into final oblivion. But a few Egyptians were more curious. Israel's Foreign Ministry, learning that some Egyptian officers wanted to see Israel for themselves, jumped at the chance.

Haifa clothing merchants agreed to lend each officer a civilian suit for a day, and a tour usually began with host (recruited among Haifa doctors, lawyers, engineers and architects) and his Egyptian "guest" in a tailor shop amiably debating the fit or fashion of assorted suits or shirts. The host took his Egyptian wherever he wanted to go, to see whatever he wanted to see. Some went to the movies, to concerts, sipped coffee in cafes, went shopping in Haifa or Jerusalem. Others visited factories, cooperative villages and kibbutzim.

Egyptian army doctors were taken to see Israeli hospitals and medical schools. The Israeli hosts were not armed. Israelis seemed to take the Egyptians for granted, even those still in uniform.

The only rule was to avoid political discussions. "We knew we couldn't change an Egyptian's point of view by arguing with him," said a Foreign Ministry spokesman. "The most we could hope to do was to open his eyes." Some were hard to convince. One Egyptian refused to believe Israel was not starving until he ordered a ten-egg omelette in a cafe, was served it by the owner without comment.

About one in ten of the officers was stubbornly hostile. "A few were real Nazi types," said one Israeli, "swollen with feelings of racial superiority." But in general the scheme was so successful that it was extended to enlisted men, who toured in buses under guard of three soldiers.

By the time the last of the 5,000 officers and men were herded back to Egypt last week, some 500 of them had taken the tour. Asked what he had thought of Israelis before, one admitted: "I'm ashamed to tell you."

The Israelis could not hope for outright conversions. But they were well content with the reaction of a typical Egyptian officer, who said: "From the Gaza Strip all I saw of Israel was two broken houses in Nahal Oz. I thought all Israel was like that. I thought Haifa was like an Egyptian fishing village. I had no idea you had such modern hospitals, industries and cities." He added thoughtfully: "It would not be easy to destroy Israel."

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