It seems as if Fadwa Saad did not even read Dan Reichgott and Emmanuel Benhamou’s letter before writing in her response (‘Stop source of Middle East Violence,’ Jan. 15, pg. 6; ‘Stop Palestinian hate education,’ Jan. 14, pg. 8). She asks us what we expect an ‘oppressed’ people to act like. It sounds as if she is justifying suicide bombers murdering teenagers in dance clubs and schoolchildren being blown up on buses. I ask Fadwa, what do you expect them to do?
The original article specifically raised the issue of people in desperate situations, by highlighting Gandhi and Martin Luther King as admirable men leading their people out of desperation via peaceful means. Why does Fadwa ignore this point in supporting a war on Israeli women and children?
She also claims that the root of the hateful education emerges from the ‘occupation.’ Again, Dan and Emmanuel addressed this issue by stating that Arafat had an opportunity to end the ‘occupation’ by accepting Clinton’s proposal but instead rebuffed the offer, abruptly ended negotiations and launched the intifada. Was peace really a goal for Arafat?
The burden to end this hateful education falls squarely on the Palestinians themselves. The nonstop excuses and blaming of Israel illustrates a lack of responsibility for one’s own actions. The first step to peace is teaching children that it is possible. Israel has already done that. Now it’s time for the Palestinians to do the same.