From: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Subject: Re: Sgt-Mgr Nissim Toledano found murdered
Reply-To: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 17:17:26 GMT

In article <4698@copper.Denver.Colorado.EDU>,
aaldoubo@copper.denver.colorado.edu (Shaqeeqa) writes:
> In article <BzBAHI.4vs@news.cso.uiuc.edu> eshneken@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu
(Edward A Shnekendorf) writes:
> >
> >They found his body bound and strangled in a ditch outside of 
> >Jerusalem.  Another victim of peaceful demonstrations by peace-loving
> >Arabs who want NOTHING more than than to live in peace.  Right.
> 
> His death is on Israel's hands.  Israel did not want to exchange him
> for Sheikh Ahmed (who is paralyzed and going blind, which is, I presume,
> very humanitarian on Israel's part).
> 
> If Israel is so interested in peace with Palestinians, they wouldn't
> have expelled the 400 accused (mind you, not tried in a public court. 
> Even if they were, their fate would be sealed anyway) of collaborating
> with the Hamas.  They were just targetted before this and Israel had its 
> excuse and further justification to expell masses of Palestinians (despite
> condemnation by the world community).

According to NPR, last night, the majority of those expelled were
professionals such as doctors, teachers, lawyers, and engineers. Many
had had no problems with the Israeli authorities in the past; they were
simply arrested, some in the middle of the night, with no formal
charges. The BBC said that they were left on a snow covered hillside in
Lebanon with no food or shelter. What kind of law and what kind of
justice is this? Taken to the extreme, the whole "Palestinian problem"
could be solved using this logic by imprisoning, deporting, or killing
all Palestinians. Does anyone wonder why desperate people resort to
random acts of terrorism against innocent Israelis? Is Rabin's decision
not another example of this on a much larger scale? I heard Clinton's
remarks about the situation; he said that he empathized with the Israeli
people who face terrorism and he also said that he feared that the
expulsions "might be excessive". I was very disappointed by Clinton's
remarks. I wonder where is his concern for the Palestinians and I wonder
just how far the Israeli government can go before Clinton is certain
that excessive action was taken. 

I am confounded as to what Rabin hopes to accomplish by these
deportations. I do not see anything constructive coming of it. Does
Rabin wish to keep the Palestinians subdued by eliminating just those
well-educated people who can serve to build a peaceful and functional
Palestinian state? We often hear the argument from some quarters that
the Palestinians lack the ability to govern themselves and so they must
not be granted a separate state. Rabin's actions lend credence to the
arguments from those who complain that the "Zionist State" is a racist
state. Rabin's choice of collective punishment is only one example of this. 

I believe that the best resolution of the "Israeli/Palestinian problem"
would be the formation of one Israel with native Palestinians living
side by side with Jews in peace. I do not see this likely when the
Israeli government does not take steps to increase contact between
Israelis and Palestinians and indeed takes steps to increase hostility,
isolation and distrust. A member of Hamas was interviewed on BBC about a
week ago. When asked whether he was opposed to peace with Israel, he
answered [I am liberally paraphrasing the response] that it was not
peace that they were seeking to oppose but that peace talks without a
show of commitment by Israel to reach a settlement was an act in futility.

What are the intentions of the Israeli government? What do Israelis
want? Do they want one state or two? If one, then Israel must seek to
take steps now to tear down the barriers of distrust with the
Palestinians. Arresting 1200 people without charges and imprisoning them
and deporting 400 others without charges is not a good way to go about
this. If Israel wishes to have a two state settlement then it should
withdraw from the occupied territories, at least partially, and begin
treating their new neighbors in the same way they expect to be treated.
If Israelis wish to continue to live in fear then what Rabin has done is
an excellent example to follow.

I think that if I were Palestinian I would side with Hamas. I would
support the attack of Israeli soldiers in the occupied territories.
Without positive indications from Israel of a desire to treat me as an
equal in a proposed Israeli/Palestinian state, I would prefer that as
much pain be inflicted on Israel as possible until Israeli soldiers
withdrew from my home. 

> If Israel was so interested in peace and living in peace, they would do
> everything in their power to cut to the chase on the peace talks and stop
> occupying and oppressing Palestinians in the territories.
> 
> Anisa
> 
> 	"We just hope that the Israelis will reciprocate and will
> 	not continue to creat such painful and aggrevating conditions
> 	on the ground that need to further hostilities and feed the
> 	cycle of violence.  The occupation is an abnormal, distorting
> 	condition.  It has to come to an end.  And I think only then
> 	will you see an end to violence."
> 						Hanan Ashwari
> 				Interview on ABC World News/12-16-92

Brad Hernlem