Facts distorted

Daniel McAllister, in his letter to the editor, writes many non-truths that need to be addressed (“Israel’s occupation unlike America,” Sept. 6, pg. 10).

First and foremost, Israel’s “occupation” is not illegal. The West Bank and Gaza Strip is land that was never officially part of any nation-state and therefore cannot be considered occupied. It was captured after 19 years of terrorist attacks launched from those territories under the watchful eyes of the previous “occupiers,” Jordan and Egypt. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel has the responsibility to administer these territories, not the responsibility to grant the residents citizenship.

That brings us to his next falsehood. McAllister says, “the United States is a secular nation that grants equal rights and freedom of movement to all of its citizens, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity. Israel does not, particularly in the occupied sections of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.” The comparison is a meaningless one considering those residents of the West Bank and Gaza are not citizens and do not deserve all rights and privileges afforded to all Israeli citizens (including 1 million Israeli Arabs). In fact, those residents of Guam, the Virgin Islands and other US territories do not enjoy full rights and privileges, including representation in the Congress and Senate.

McAllister also fails to state that under the Oslo Accords, Israel had withdrawn from 99 percent of Palestinian population centers, in effect ending the “occupation” in the year 2000. Then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians a 98 percent withdrawal from the land of the territories, an additional 2 percent inside Israel, a divided Jerusalem and sovereignty over all Muslem and Christian holy sites, in exchange for a final end to the conflict. What was the Palestinian response to this offer? Nothing but terror aimed at babies, children, pregnant women, senior citizens and other civilians.