6 THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE attitude taken is complete without some reference to Palestin­ ian (sometimes also known as “ A ra b ” ) terrorism. A n y selfrespecting director planning a film on some current, and probably invented, enormity would not pass up the occasion to introduce a Palestinian into his cast as a sort o f card-carrying terrorist. Films like Black Sunday and Sorcerer come immedi­ ately to mind. On the other hand, the Palestinians have canonically been associated with all the characteristics of refugees who— depending on the occasion— fester in camps, are a political “ football” being used by A rab states, are a breeding ground for communism, tend to procreate like rabbits, and so forth. M ore analytic and hardheaded com m en­ tators have frequently rem arked that the Palestinians consti­ tute an elite in the A rab world. Not only do they seem to have the highest educational attainment o f any other national group there; they are also well placed in sensitive positions in sensitive places in the overall A rab polity. Such pressure points as oil ministries and installations in the Arabian G u lf, econom ­ ic and educational advisories, all these plus a large segment of the A rab upper bourgeoisie (bankers, entrepreneurs, intellec­ tuals) are occupied by Palestinians, all o f whom are supposed to be hungry for trouble and revenge. Lastly and most recently, for the first time since 1948, Am erican political debate has turned to the Palestinian problem. Beginning with President C arter, it is no longer considered a sign o f rank anti-Semitism to say (hat Middle Eastern peace must at last take the problem o f the Palestinians into serious consideration. A “ Palestinian hom eland” and the thorny issue o f Palestinian representation at proposed peace conferences are enorm ously important questions now challeng­ ing public consciousness. Because o f its first post-1948 appear­ ance as an independent item on the United Nations G eneral Assem bly agenda in 1974, em bodied in Yasir A ra fat’s contro­ versial appearance there, “ the question o f Palestine” has irritated and penetrated the general awareness in a new and possibly propitious w ay, although Palestinian self-deter­ mination was first voted on affirmatively at the United Nations in 1969. (General Assem bly Resolution 2535B expressed