dave (05/01/83)
To arizona!jim: The Jewish experience of the Holocaust was indeed different from the sufferings of Chilean liberals. Vast numbers of people who made no political statements and posed no threat, real or imaginary, to the state, were slaughtered for no reason other than racial hatred. These were people who had lived in and contributed to the society around them - the same society which killed them - for hundreds of years. The Armenian experience may be comparable, but was certainly on a smaller scale. Your suggestion that my attitude is somehow responsible for the Sabra and Chatilla massacres is nonsense. First of all, don't forget who committed the massacres. The media have had a field day playing it up as Israel's responsibility, ignoring the fact that it was Christian Arabs who killed Moslem Arabs, something which has been going on on a large scale in Lebanon since 1975. Israel's "intolerance" for the Palestinians is absoltely justified. In 1948, when Israel was created by the U.N., the Arab Palestinians were to have their own state. The Arabs collectively rejected the idea, deciding that they would do better by attacking the Jews and pushing them into the sea. From 1949 to 1967, Jordan ruled over the West Bank. Where were the cries for a Palestinian state on the West Bank then? The P.L.O.'s basic, fundamental and publicly-stated aim, as set out in its charter, is the destruction of the state of Israel. Somehow it's only when Jews defend themselves that everyone gets upset. Nobody took issue with Britain's defending its Falkland Islands against Argentina. I'm sick and tired of seeing Israel vilified for its supposed "intolerance" towards the Palestinians. If the Arabs cared a damn about them, they could have resettled them 100 times over by now. Look at the number of refugees Israel has taken in. Or the number that France took in from Algeria. Or the number that were resettled between India and Pakistan. The Palestinian refugees have been left where they are to be used as pawns against Israel. And if they want a state, let them go to Jordan, which IS a Palestinian Arab state in every sense. It's all very well to say "we're all brothers" and "let's get together". Israel has wanted peace for 35 years. It willingly gave up land, oil fields and air bases for peace with Egypt. But if the other Arab countries can't reconcile themselves to Israel's existence, them I'm sorry, but that's THEIR problem. Israel's duty is to safeguard its residents' lives and those of Jews anywhere who have nowhere to go. Dave Sherman Toronto ...decvax!utzoo!utcsrgv!dave
ray (05/02/83)
Just as an additional note to Dave Sherman's article... Consider that if the Arab states in the Middle East had (or would!!) spend the money that they give to the PLO to buy arms, on facilities for resettlement of the Palestinians, then this problem might have been resolved long ago. (I agree that the problem of finding a place for these people would still be a problem but that doesn't lessen my point that that sum of money (think of how much money must have been spent on arms for the PLO) is much better spent on things that would end the problem as opposed to things that continue and aggravate the problem. Of course the PLO could always claim that arms ARE the way to end the problem. Ray Allen (416) 978-5036 ...!decvax!utzoo!utcsrgv!ray