By Randy Kessler, , Mercer Island
Why is it that “peace activists” like Richard Silverstein (“Divesting, not boycotting,” June 13) always tell us that they are supporters of Israel right as they support anti-Israel policies like Initiative 97? This is the height of duplicity and an insult to the intelligence of thinking people. It makes as much sense as suggesting euthanasia as a solution for chronic pain.
According to him, if Israel simply pulled out of the West Bank, the Palestinians would magically realize that the Jews are actually not imperialist invaders with absolutely no right to the land. They would abandon their religious duty to drive us out of the sacred Islamic trust. They would suddenly see that we are not the sons of pigs and monkeys, but that we are actually pretty nice people with just as much right to the land as they have.
His theory was tried before, with the Gaza disengagement of 2005. Palestinians run their own affairs there, with not a single Jew in the territory. Israel’s reward, under both Fatah and Hamas, has been over 4,000 rockets, or over three per day, starting immediately after Israel completed its withdrawal. The Israeli people do not want to rule over the Palestinians. Unfortunately, until the Palestinians reform themselves, the occupation of the West Bank is the only way Israel can prevent an armed terrorist state from emerging within its very heart.
The way to peace is clear, and it’s not pressuring Israel, but supporting Israel in its fight against radical Islamism. If the Palestinians laid down their arms tomorrow, they would have a Palestinian state. If Israel laid down its arms tomorrow, there would be no more Israel.
That is why we as a Jewish community — which is really our extended Jewish family — must come together to oppose Initiative 97. Our fellow Jews deserve our support, not our disdain, as they fight for their lives.