More empty rhetoric

This is a republication of an original article written by Ahuva Sunshine in the Diamondback Online on Thursday, January 27, 2011.

And the pendulum swings from one end to the other: In the name of fighting extremism and inaccuracy, the guest column “False Assertions,” published Dec. 13, has provided a deluge of spurious clichés and platitudes notoriously used by anti-Israel advocates. Israel is not an occupying foreign power — modern international law and thousands of years of Jewish presence in the land both vouch for Israel’s legitimacy. The article equates the attitude of the Facts and Logic About the Middle East advertisement with the attitude of the Israeli government itself; this apocryphal extrapolation heavily distorts the Israeli government’s firm commitment to tolerance of all people and most importantly, its commitment to creating a lasting peace.

While Israel has eagerly participated in various peace conferences and helped construct plans for a Palestinian state throughout the decades, it has been met with an onslaught of Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians, a cruel indicator of Palestinian distaste for the peace process. For example, the 2000 Camp David Summit, an attempt to reach a peace agreement, was met with the start of the Second Intifada, and the disengagement from Gaza in 2005 was rewarded with an increase in the launching of Qassam rockets on Israeli civilian centers. Despite these disheartening responses, Israel still has the courage and desire to partake in the peace process.

Restrictions in the West Bank, such as the separate system of roads, checkpoints, road blocks and the security fence are all temporary security initiatives necessary to protect Israeli citizens from attacks during the Second Intifada. Israel, according to Israeli military sources, currently has its lowest level of troops in the West Bank since the First Intifada began in the late 1980s.

Israel has significantly reduced its military presence in the West Bank and has cooperated with the Palestinians in allowing their security forces to take control of major Palestinian cities. Additionally, if Palestinians suffering is really the issue at hand, then Hamas, which the United States classifies as a terrorist organization and creates a culture of extreme censorship and forced martyrdom, must be discussed.

While the founder of FLAME may have stated that “all Arab Muslims may not a bunch of fanatics, but I’ve never met one who isn’t,” Israel has a much different approach toward the minority that constitutes 20 percent of its population. Arabs are formally able to be full participants in Israeli society and serve in the Knesset, Israel’s legislature. There are many cities where Arabs and Jews peacefully coexist and interact with each other on a daily basis. Tel Aviv boasts the largest Arab gay community in the Middle East due to Israel’s free and democratic society.

Many Americans support Israel, and with good reason — it is the bastion of freedom and democracy in a region otherwise lacking basic human rights.

About the Author

Ahuva Sunshine is a freshman government and politics major.