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Letters 249
ZionismandApartheid:
An Exchange
To theEditor:
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250 Letters
as theprimary in themiddleeast, and recommends
cause of conflict a
largelyunexaminedpolicy of multiculturalism
to a countrysurrounded
byenemiesin no wayinclined-orculturallyequipped-to adoptsucha
program.
Whatis glaringly lackingin Mr.Cohen'snarrative is theother
sideofthepicture.Forsixdecades,sinceitsinception, Israelhas fought
offmultiple attacksaimedatitsannihilation. Itfacesan existential threat
fromIran.Current Palestinianmapsdo notshowtheStateofIsraelatall.
Andyetthenationsof theworldwantIsraelto pursuea two-state solu-
tiontotheproblem, andmanyin theIsraelileadership agree. The world
condemnsIsraelforerecting a fenceto stemtheinflowofdailyterrorist
suicidebombers.Butwhere,we maywellask,arethesecurity fencesin
surrounding Arab countries to their
protect citizens from Israelisuicide
bombers?Ofcoursesuch fences do notexist,not because theywouldbe
foundoffensive, butbecausetheArabcountries don'tneedthem,though
obviously Israel does. not
Why speak about the morethan7000 rockets
thathavebeenfiredatthesouthern Israelicommunity ofSderot,withits
21,000residents livingin constantfear?WhenIsraelrespondsto direct
actsofterror, itsresponse, intheworldtheatre, is calleddisproportionate,
though itis hard to understand how such a term canseemlegitimate when
rocketsareroutinely launchedagainstIsrael'scivilianpopulation.
AretheJewishsettlements an obstacleto peace?
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Letters 251
3) Israelfrozeall settlement in 1978afterthesigningof
activity
theCampDavid accords,butnoArabcountries werewillingto
makepeace withthe"Zionistentity."
5) Between1992and1996theJewish populationinthesettlement
areagrewbyabout50%, butthisdid notstopthePalestinians
fromsigningthepeace treaty Oslo 1 in 1993orOslo 2 in 1995.
ruledoutviolenceas a negotiating
Oslo also specifically tool.
6) In 2000 PM Barakofferedtodismantlethesettlementsalong
withotherconditions, but thePalestinianleadershiprejected
theoffer.
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Derek Cohen respondsto Roy Brahen's Letter:
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Letters 253
myviewtheyaretherealheroesofthestruggle, as werethetinyminority
ofwhitepeoplein SouthAfricawhofought alongsidetheirblackcohorts
againstapartheid despitedraconianconsequences.MayI addthatI have
seensomeoftheanti-Semitic propagandathatcomesoutoftheMiddle
East. It is notcunninganditis notclever.
I am alwaysamusedbytheuse oftheanodyneword"fence"to
describetheBerlinwallthattheIsraelishaveerected.Wallsdon'twork,
as history has repeatedlyshown,and thisone won't. However,if you
wanta wall,putoneup byall means:butnotinthebackyardsandfarms
andschoolsandfootpaths ofpeoplewhodon'twantit,buthavenochoice
butto livewithit. Keep itinsideyourownterritory. The Wallis to me
a compelling symbolofthearrogance oftheIsraelioccupation.
Another thing.The famous denialbytheArabsofIsrael's"right
toexist."Do statesreallygo aroundgranting eachothertheright toexist?
Thisis anegregious evasion,designedtodeflect legitimatecriticism
ofthe
occupation.If,let'ssayCuba,deniedtheU.S. itsrightto exist,whaton
earth'sdifference wouldthatmaketo anything?Whyis thePalestinian
refusaltoacknowledge Israel's"right
toexist"a matterofevena moment's
concern?Israelexists;and no denialor affirmation of itsrightto do so
is goingto changethatfact.
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