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May 25, 2001/Sivan 3, 5761, Vol. 53, No.34
Letters to the EditorMay 25, 2001
We need to respond to help Israel nowEditor:The news from Israel the past few weeks has not been good. Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres says we are in the worst crisis since 1948. It is a crucial time for the Jewish people to pull together. Israel offered Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat almost everything he wanted including the uprooting of most of the settlements. The only thing he didn't get was the right of return for Palestinian refugees, which would have been the end of the Jewish state. Arafat walked away from this offer. He began the so-called intifada, which is a polite name for a war. Arafat uses the word jihad (holy war) to describe what is happening. Yet now the story we are being told is all about how the Israeli settlements are the real problem and of course the overreaction of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The problem as I see it is this: Israel needs to be strong. She can not afford to just defend herself "tit for tat." She must send very strong messages to the Palestinians that violence won't work. Yet as soon as Israel sends strong messages (like using tanks or airplanes) then the whole world turns against her. The United States must defend Israel's right to defend herself. Imagine if suicide bombers from Mexico had blown up seven shopping malls in the United States. How would we respond? Israel, of course, is the size of New Jersey, not the United States. And unlike Mexico, there is no Arab democracy. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is the only country in the Middle East where a person can carry a "peace sign" and not be shot. There are plenty of Palestinians who desperately want peace, but they are too afraid to talk openly. I appeal to you to support Israel at this difficult hour. I ask you to contact your representatives in Congress and let them know of your unwavering support. It is crucial to tell them that there is no moral equivalency between Palestinian terrorism and Israeli self-defense. The charge that the "occupation" and the settlements are terrorism is the worst kind of nationalistic propaganda. There are no guards in front of Palestinian schools to protect the children from Israelis. They know that Israelis do not hurt children. But every Israeli school has guards. Let's be clear who the terrorists are. Here are some e-mail addresses of some important officials: Sen. John McCain at John_McCain@McCain.senate.gov; Sen. Jon Kyl at info@kyl.senate.gov; Rep. Jeff Flake at jeff.flake@mail.house.gov; Rep. Ed Pastor at 602-256-0551 (no e-mail available); Rep. Bob Stump at 602-379-6923 (no e-mail available); Rep. John Shaddeg at j.shadegg@mail.house.gov; Rep. Jim Kolbe at http://www.house.gov/writerep/; and Rep. J.D. Hayworth at jdhayworth@mail.house.gov. I ask you to help Israel at this time. Rabbi William C. Berk Temple Chai |
