For peace, we must get the facts straight first
Rabbi Ezra Ende's opinion piece ("Israelis Want Peace," June 7) is riddled with distortions and outright falsehoods.
First, he suggests that the Zionist movement, which led to the creation of Israel, was waged with "attempts to help both peoples live side by side." It is true that Jews and Arabs lived side by side in Palestine for several decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But according to Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, it was always the policy of the Zionist leadership to expel the Arab Palestinians from their land. And the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were driven from their homes in 1948 have still not been allowed by Israel to return.
Second, one of the results of the 1967 war was Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military continues to control the borders of and much of the activities within. These facts are brushed aside by Rabbi Ende when he claims "Israel never annexed most of this land, although Israelis have settled on this disputed territory."
Third, Rabbi Ende argues Israel's blockade of Gaza was erected solely "to prevent additional munitions from entering Gaza by sea" and "not to stop humanitarian supplies." Yet, the blockade, according to the World Health Organization, has resulted in a "worsening of the health conditions of the [Gaza] population." Fourth, his contention that it was the Israeli soldiers who were "viciously attacked" is ludicrous. The nine activists who died that day were shot a total of 30 times by the Israeli soldiers, five of them in the back or the back of the head.
I hope that Jews and Arabs can once again share the land that they both call home. But this can begin to happen only when we all know some basic historical facts.
ROBERT B. ROSS
Lawrenceville
First, he suggests that the Zionist movement, which led to the creation of Israel, was waged with "attempts to help both peoples live side by side." It is true that Jews and Arabs lived side by side in Palestine for several decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But according to Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, it was always the policy of the Zionist leadership to expel the Arab Palestinians from their land. And the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were driven from their homes in 1948 have still not been allowed by Israel to return.
Second, one of the results of the 1967 war was Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military continues to control the borders of and much of the activities within. These facts are brushed aside by Rabbi Ende when he claims "Israel never annexed most of this land, although Israelis have settled on this disputed territory."
Third, Rabbi Ende argues Israel's blockade of Gaza was erected solely "to prevent additional munitions from entering Gaza by sea" and "not to stop humanitarian supplies." Yet, the blockade, according to the World Health Organization, has resulted in a "worsening of the health conditions of the [Gaza] population." Fourth, his contention that it was the Israeli soldiers who were "viciously attacked" is ludicrous. The nine activists who died that day were shot a total of 30 times by the Israeli soldiers, five of them in the back or the back of the head.
I hope that Jews and Arabs can once again share the land that they both call home. But this can begin to happen only when we all know some basic historical facts.
ROBERT B. ROSS
Lawrenceville