Last Tuesday, Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for the Israeli government and a former intelligence agent for the Israel Defense Force, addressed the Brandeis campus on issues surrounding the Middle East after the death of Yasser Arafat.The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Brandeis-Israel Public Affairs Committee, Zionists for Historical Veracity and the Middle East Forum at Brandeis sponsored the event.

Eisin discussed the political results of the death of Palestinian Authority leader and Palestine Liberation Organization chair Yasser Arafat. She said that Arafat's death may prove less significant than some believe in aiding the peace process.

The crux of the problem, Eisin said, lies in "the issue of mutual recognition"-each state must acknowledge the other's right to exist.

Eisin moved to Israel from her birthplace of California at the age of eight. She began a military career in her late teens, serving in various posts within the army.

As a colonel in the IDF, she served as an army spokesperson and was valued for her fluid, accent-free speech in both Hebrew and English.

At the pinnacle of her career, she served as official spokeswoman of the Israeli government during Operation Defense Shield, a 2002 military effort intended to destroy Palestinian terrorist strongholds.

According to Eisin, the Israeli and Palestinian views of Arafat's death and its implications are diametrically opposed.

She said that while Arafat's death gave Israeli's hope for peace, Palestinians still deeply mourn his loss. She said that Palestinians view him as a "deity" whose footsteps are impossible to fill.

"While Arafat represented many different Palestinian factions, from left to right, all the other candidates for the upcoming election represent more specific political groups," Eisin said.

As a result, according to Eisin, Palestinians are "apprehensive" rather than "excited" about their upcoming presidential elections. She said the country wonders who would replace the leader who so aptly represented their fractious nation.