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Scoop Feedback - Re: Israel Ups its Spin
Feedback - Letter to the Editor - From Neil Morrison
Re: Bethlehem Burns - Israel Ups its Public Relations Spin
Dear Mr Manning, Have you considered giving some thought to what the Arab part of the Saudi peace proposal is?
Israeli fear of the destruction of the state of Israel is usually seen as mere paranoia and no justification for their treatment of the Palestinians.
But the Saudi plan gives explicit support to the Israeli point of view - it finally, after 50 years, offers recognition of Israel by the Arab world.
It is a pity that it was the brutality of Sharon that finally brought about this offer.
That the Arab world has deliberately with-held this for so long has contributed to the plight of the Palestinians at least as much as the actions of Israel.
However, the use of History to attribute blame in this case is futile.
Futile in that arguments can easily be made to condemn either side depending on which events one chooses to include and which to ignore.
And futile because it provides no method of finding a resolution.
The Israeli's have made some very bad decisions in the past, such as objecting to Jordan annexing the West Bank and continuing the settlement process in Gaza and the West Bank.
But look at the decisions the Palestinian leadership have made: supporting Hitler, supporting Saddam Hussein, helping Sharon into power (the PA never attempted to mobilise Israeli Arabs to vote against Sharon and undermined Barak with violence), goading Sharon with suicide bombers (as if Sharon isn't going to react with overwhelming military force).
Not great strategic moves. The sad irony of all this is that 50 years of Arab antagonism to the State of Israel will result in the Palestinians forming a state on much less territory than what they would have had had they accepted the original UN partition. And with the loss of thousands of lives. regards, Neil Morrison
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