Written to the New York Times
In your August 18th editorial you write that "Gaza represents the worst side of Israel's settlement movement. The densely populated strip is home to 1.3 million Palestinians - most of them refugees, or offspring of refugees."
Israel is home to 4.8 million Jews, nearly all of whom are "refugees or offspring of refugees." Indeed, since 1948, far more Jews have been ejected from communities in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Jordan and the other Arab countries in the region than Palestinians were ejected from what has become Israel. Many of these Jewish communities were older than either Islam or Christianity. Israel absorbed all of them. The Arab nations, on the other hand, refuse to accept the Palestinians as immigrants, forcing them to remain in the strip and to remain refugees.
Indeed, an historical review of the region makes it clear that Israel is a nation surrounded by nations that are bent on its destruction for reasons of simple anti-semitism, and that the policies that these nations hold with regard to Palestinian Arabs are at least as destructive of Palestinian quality of life as Israeli policy has been. The Arab world cynically views the Palestinians as shock-troops in their 48 year old war against Israel, and to that end provides ample aid in arms and explosives, but appallingly little in infrastructure or commerce.
The withdrawal of settlers from Gaza will do little to change that dynamic. As long as the Arab world is pumping the Palestinian streets full of arms, and the Palestinian schools full of anti-Jewish propaganda, the Palestinian people will remain the victims of the anti-Semitic war in which they are being used as pawns.
Israel is home to 4.8 million Jews, nearly all of whom are "refugees or offspring of refugees." Indeed, since 1948, far more Jews have been ejected from communities in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Jordan and the other Arab countries in the region than Palestinians were ejected from what has become Israel. Many of these Jewish communities were older than either Islam or Christianity. Israel absorbed all of them. The Arab nations, on the other hand, refuse to accept the Palestinians as immigrants, forcing them to remain in the strip and to remain refugees.
Indeed, an historical review of the region makes it clear that Israel is a nation surrounded by nations that are bent on its destruction for reasons of simple anti-semitism, and that the policies that these nations hold with regard to Palestinian Arabs are at least as destructive of Palestinian quality of life as Israeli policy has been. The Arab world cynically views the Palestinians as shock-troops in their 48 year old war against Israel, and to that end provides ample aid in arms and explosives, but appallingly little in infrastructure or commerce.
The withdrawal of settlers from Gaza will do little to change that dynamic. As long as the Arab world is pumping the Palestinian streets full of arms, and the Palestinian schools full of anti-Jewish propaganda, the Palestinian people will remain the victims of the anti-Semitic war in which they are being used as pawns.