Dear Editor:
In the "Letters" section of your April 15 issue, Hani Ismaeal and Rasheed Muwallif give a disturbingly distorted view of the conflict in the Middle East. Fortunately, here are facts to help clear things up. Muwallif claims Israel expanded its borders when "it undertook a surprise attack on Jordan and Egypt in 1967."
Wrong.
In 1967, Egypt, Syria and Jordan attacked Israel (for a second time, the first being in 1948, the year of Israel's birth). It was in repelling these aggressors that Israel came in control of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai desert. Israel had every right to annex these territories, given that the Arab world had declared war on Israel, and the Arab world lost.
However, Israel did not do this. Indeed, it did not withdraw its armies or relinquish control, but for good reason. The Arab world still declared themselves at war with Israel, and no responsible Israeli government could give up such an important territorial cushion. Israel was so geographically small that at one point it was less than 10 miles across. It's a matter of security.
What's more, Muwallif claims that "Israel has consistently refused to adhere to dozens of UN resolutions ..."
Interesting.
It's worth noting that during the period of 1993-1999 (after the Oslo Accords peace process) Israel was so desperate for peace, it offered 95 percent of the territory its negotiators demanded. The result? Yasser Arafat turned it down, and suicide bombings followed.
The point is, the problems in the Middle East are not about the land occupied by Israel. The Arabs wants to push the Jews into the sea. The idea that so many are willing to try and justify the countless suicide bombings is startling.
Matthew Wang
freshman, computer science
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
