Reader reactions to ‘Arab League
should enter uncharted territory and recognise Israel’
Haven’t the Arabs
given enough?
First, this article assumes
that Israel is moral, ethical and cares about what the international
community thinks. The truth is Israel has never done anything to prove its
goodwill. From turning Gaza into a rotting prison, to its Bantustan-like
conditions in the West Bank – some analysts actually say worse. That’s in
addition to checkpoints where some people needing medical treatment don’t
manage to get through and the country’s treatment of its Arab minority – let’s
not forget that they became a minority by being driven out of their
homes – as well as incursions into Lebanese airspace, something that some
European powers, like France and Germany, do nothing about, which is absolutely
shameful.
You said: “Although many Arabs argue that
Israel, as the occupier of Arab lands and the more powerful military party,
holds most of the cards to resolve the conflict, there are still certain things
the Arabs can do to resolve the situation.”
What more can they do, 20 countries – The Arab
League excluding Egypt and Jordan that already have peace agreements with the
country – are offering to recognise Israel.
Moreover, I believe that Israel’s military
might has indeed deterred the Arabs. Now I’m not suggesting that anyone wants
to go to war, even with a weak Israel, but Israel has got to where it is today
by force... and, it has to be said, education, investment in
research and science.
"Israel, its supporters and apologists
accuse Arabs of wanting to destroy Israel and ‘drive it into the sea...."
There are many more Arabs than we would like to
admit that would like to drive Israel into the sea. I'm not advocating this,
but I understand it. The Arabs have already offered to recognise Israel. Doing
it unilaterally and unconditionally doesn’t put them in a stronger position, I
believe it puts them in a weaker position and sends out a message to Israel
that pressure and ignoring the international community works.
Although the article is about the
Arab peace initiative, it fails to mentions the fact that it is in Israel’s
interests that the whole world forget about the Golan Heights, where it just
happens to get [a lot] of its water, in addition to the aquifers in the West
Bank. [It also doesn’t mention] the addition to “settlements” that have
actually become cities, like Maaleh Adumim, that cuts very deep into the West
Bank.
Having said all of that, this is not at
all intended to be a lesson in history or a reminder of the situation in
the Middle East which I’m sure you’re more familiar with than me. In
fact, I still believe in doing business with Israel and rejecting any
calls for “driving it into the sea”. What I’m trying to say, though, is: why is
it that Arabs always have to give, haven’t they given enough – 80% of
Palestinian land, for example? When will it be time for Israel to give? When
will it be time for Israel to show some goodwill?
A Mokhtar
Paris, France
April 2007
Israel is here
I never quite understood the whole “not
recognising” Israel thing. Israel is here, whether you “recognise” it or not. Therefore,
by not recognising Israel, you’re actually saying you do not recognize Israel’s
right to exist. Imagine if Israel were to announce it does
not recognize Iran’s or Iraq’s right to exist?
In a way, this parallels the “official Israel” refusing to even recognise the
existence of the Palestinian people for so many years. They kept arguing that
there simply isn’t such an entity as the Palestinian people, saying this was an
artificial concept, made up by whoever. Obviously, that has changed by now.
I would expect the Arab countries and entities, not only to ‘recognise’ Israel,
but also to recognize its right to exist as a non-Arab and non-Muslim entity in
this region. I think this is the real acceptance issue.
A El Hashahar
Pardes Hana, Israel
April 2007
What bothers me
My first thoughts were that anything that might
bring peace to the area was good. I still feel that way. But there are things
that bother me that the article does not address.
I agree that the pre-1967 border is a concern of the Arabs. Israel has the
right to be concerned about the Arabs wanting to drive them into the sea. To
this day, Arabs have never denied it. The Saudi peace plan is not something
new. Your article indicates that it is Israel that turned it down, while saying
nothing about the Arab states that also did not like the plan. Before he died,
Rabin offered the Palestinians a peace plan that gave the Palestinian’s 99% of
everything they said they wanted. Every country in the UN (some Arab were in
favour of the plan) were in favour of Rabin’s plan. Arafat turned it down. Israel
is such a small country. There is less then 10 miles from the sea to the border
in some places. Along with the concerns of the Palestinians, the concerns of
the Israeli need to be addressed also.
I think your article is a good one, but it has a flaw. Israel has agreed that
nothing will be eliminated if peace talks could be arranged. That includes
Gaza, the West Bank and the new settlements. As it always seem to be, the
Palestinians want concessions before talks even start.
I Cohen
Arizona, USA
March 2007
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