The Observer, December 7, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 13
Peace in Middle East will provide security
To the Editor:
A simple reading of Caleb Posner's "Unpopular Reason" editorial [Nov. 30] easily reveals its goal of spreading fear, hate, and misinformation. The topic of his editorial essentially states that peace in the region would put Israel at a "greater risk of genocidal obliteration than ever before." His rash statements insinuate that peace and stability in the region could make Israel vulnerable to acts tantamount to the Holocaust. The reality is that Israel's security and future depends on the peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians and the recognition of the Palestinians' right to exist. The path toward peace is the only way to mitigate the violence in the region.
Based on the text of his article, Posner apparently declares all Palestinians "bloodthirsty butchers" and "terrorists," which is a dangerous and biased mischaracterization. Since Sept. 29, 2000, the Israeli army [has] killed significantly more innocent Palestinian civilians (704 Israeli vs. 2043 Palestinian) and more innocent Palestinian children (119 Israeli children vs. 971 Palestinian children). (Source: B'Tselem, The Israeli Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.)
Thanks to our tax dollars, Israel has one of the most modern militaries in the world with an arsenal that includes a nuclear deterrent, and Posner's fear-mongering article wants us to believe if Palestine and Israel move towards peace, that Israel is at risk of genocide? The only people at risk of genocide in the region are the Palestinians, with their land being expropriated daily as illegal Israeli settlements continue to rapidly grow. This is a fact that demonstrates that Israel does not "always uphold its side of the bargain." Even Ehud Olmert, in support of the present peace initiative, agrees that without action, Israel could end up like apartheid South Africa. Is this the path Posner prefers?
While major progress in this round of peace talks is far from a certainty, it is important to keep working toward a peaceful solution. Otherwise, one might succumb to the politics of fear and hate, which all but assures a continued cycle of bloodshed and mistrust.
Zeyad Schwen
Undergraduate student
