Jim Gallagher’s letter to the editor yesterday (“Withdraw Israel”) was another tired, old, hackneyed, self-righteous, biased and completely inaccurate description of Israel’s so-called occupation of “Palestinian land.” What Mr. Gallagher fails to mention — like countless others before him — is before Israel took control of the disputed territories as a result of a war started by the Arab states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan (a fact which cannot be emphasized enough), gangs of Arab fedayeen terrorists would use the strategic hilltops of the West Bank to launch attacks on the Jewish settlements within Israel’s narrow, indefensible 1949 ceasefire border. With similar murderous attacks originating from Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip, Israel’s government — heck, like any government on earth — found this situation intolerable. Mr. Gallagher, fortunately, did not let the facts get in the way of his opus. Mr. Gallagher, who took it upon himself to play judge, jury and executioner at once, said the settlements are “immoral and illegal.” While he is busy polishing off his international law degree, let me acknowledge (as most Israelis already have) that the hardships faced by the Palestinian Arab population in the territories is regrettable and indeed a stain on Israel’s record. However, they are unfortunate byproducts of necessary security measures that the army must implement in order to protect Israelis everywhere. Once again, most Israelis accept the inevitability of a Palestinian state and the need to uproot settlements. That is why Ehud Barak offered what he did at Camp David. Mr. Gallagher, evidently detached from reality, should kindly explain why Yasser Arafat did not even make a counteroffer.
Israel is desperately seeking a partner on the other side with whom to conduct a peaceful dialogue. The Jewish people, themselves divided and themselves demoralized (judging from Mr. Gallagher’s piece, the reader could be forgiven if it seemed as if they all live in some bulletproof bubble), are ready to sacrifice most of Judea and Samaria, land that Jews have been settling since time immemorial. The deep, profound bond to the Jews’ ancient homeland is what spurred on the settlement movement, not some colonialist aspiration as the media in the US and Europe would have you believe.
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