Diplomatic Doings

Hannibal Club Recognizes Benjamin Gilman

Tunisian Ambassador to the U.S. Hatem Atallah and Mrs. Atallah, and Ambassador and Mrs. Robert Pelletreau, Jr. together hosted the Hannibal Club’s fourth annual award dinner June 25 at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel. The banquet is a favorite event for Americans who have spent time in Tunisia, diplomats and business people, as well as Washington-area Tunisians, to get together and remember a special land.

Ambassador Atallah welcomed attendees and spoke of the shared values, common vision and close friendship between the United States and Tunisia, as well as Tunisia’s unwavering support after Sept. 11. Following his remarks guests viewed two short films, “Hannibal Story” and “Tunisia—Modern Day Carthage.”

Ambassador Pelletreau, president of the Hannibal Club, USA, talked about the importance of Tunisia as an ally in the war on terrorism. He reminded the audience that Tunisia had worked hard for peace between Israel and Palestine. As a result of the current conflict, Tunisia, like the rest of the region, faces a serious decline in tourism.

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced this year’s Hannibal award winner, soon-to-retire Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-NY), who served 15 terms in Congress. Many of the banquet guests were frankly mystified by the choice of honoree.

According to a Washington Jewish Week tribute to Gilman on July 11, the senior Jewish Republican member of Congress for 30 years was “one of Israel’s staunchest friends on Capitol Hill.” Along with his good pals, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Gilman was skeptical of any peace plan and “stood firm when he thought the elder Bush and Clinton might be moving too fast or showing too much flexibility.”

Noted the editorial, “Gilman has done much behind the scenes to help Israel that cannot be made public, sources say, intervening with foreign governments as well as American administrations.”

The 79-year-old Gilman was chair of the House International Relations Committee from 1995 to 2001 and currently chairs its subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

Gilman’s keynote speech did nothing to clear up the mystery of the Tunisia-U.S. friendship club’s selection of the congressman for their annual award. He described Tunisia as a moderate state tolerant of minorities, truly a peacekeeper, working against the threat of radicalism. After reiterating that Tunisia was a voice for moderation in the troubled Middle East, Gilman next seemed to focus on Israel, saying he was disappointed that Tunisia had severed relations with Israel during the recent troubles. He concluded by saying he hoped Hannibal Club members would convince the Tunisian government to resume relations with the Jewish state.

—Delinda C. Hanley

Kuwait Information Counselor Leaves

Kuwait Embassy Information Counselor Shafeeq al-Ghabra’s many friends in Washington, DC, attended a farewell reception in his honor at the Army-Navy Club on July 19. Assigned to the nation’s capital three years ago, Shafeeq al-Ghabra’s personality, fine brain and faultless English enabled him to handle himself well in a political environment not always favorable to Arabs.

In a drama involving the Arab-Israel issue, Dr. al-Ghabra, a political science professor, was once called back home for taking part in a panel discussion alongside Israelis at the World Economic Forum in New York. He went home, persuaded his bosses that he had done the right thing and returned to Washington, DC to complete his tour. The professor’s many friends in the nation’s capital hope that Dr. al-Ghabra will continue to make Arab views known and overcome the stereotypes that have proliferated in recent months.

—Andrew I. Killgore