To Daniel (again)

Submitted by Tom Tonon (United States), Aug 9, 2006 at 01:15

Thank you again, Daniel, for your response.

Your response that, "The Palestinians seek to eliminate Israel and your (Tonon's) approach gives them implicit support to do so," as well as your earlier response: "Israel is a vibrant, decent, and prosperous country; so in any way to bring its existence into question is logically absurd and morally repugnant." indicates you feel that acknowledging the truth about the facts surrounding the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 would bring Israel's legitimacy of Israel into question, or at least, weaken the foundation upon which Israel is based. Do really believe what your statements imply? In addition, Fact (1) is a fact, whether the US and Israel acknowledge it or not. Thus, your statements suggest that your approach is to attempt to maintain the legitimacy of Israel by not acknowledging a fact.

Let's take a different tack and suppose the West and Israel acknowledge Fact (1) in a Peace Package, on the Negotiation Table. Yes, you fear that the Palestinians will feel even more empowered to destroy Israel. I have another view. I think the Palestinians don't want to destroy Israel. They simply want justice, as a result of Fact (1), and acknowledgement of Fact (1) by Israel and the US would go much to give them back their humanity. If they'd then demand that Fact (1) justifies the destruction of Israel – as you fear - they'd get nowhere, as proven by the last 58 years. I mean, what have you to loose, if you already believe the Palestinians want nothing other than to destroy Israel? In my view, however, they'd feel empowered to negotiate for compensation, through money, land, return of refugees, etc. Right now, there's little evidence that Israel would give them anything in negotiation if they forever relinquished terrorism. In their minds, it's all they have. This negotiation, of course, would be very complicated, but it would be an opportunity for Israel and the US to negotiate with honesty, candidness, and fairness. On the other hand, without acknowledgement of Fact (1), the truth, there cannot be honest and fair negotiation for peace – as proven by the last 58 years. As I see it, there isn't much choice here. Either we acknowledge the truth and go with it, or be prepared for a long war of attrition, possibly a regional conflict, if not a world war, with vast rivers of blood, at a minimum, rendering one side – probably the Palestinians – as decimated as the American Indians are now. Perhaps many here would choose the latter, but I think that would be a deep moral wound against the State of Israel, among other things.

Best regards,

Tom

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