Editor,
Jason Darensburg, in his letter to the Daily Lobo in Thursday's Opinion section, is unaware of, or chooses to ignore, the plain historical facts regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted in Resolution 181 to partition the British mandate west of the Jordan River into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The latter was to consist essentially of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Jews accepted this partition. The Arabs rejected it and vowed, from the podium of the United Nations, to "drown it in rivers of blood."
In 1948, the armies of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, plus contingents from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and others, invaded the territory to make good on their threat. The newborn Israel defended itself and survived, but the nascent Palestinian state was occupied and annexed by Egypt and Jordan, which occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, respectively. This is how the Palestinian state was killed by the Arabs themselves.
In war after aggressive war, most notably 1967 and 1973, plus ongoing campaigns of terrorism and suicide bombing against civilians, Arabs have tried to destroy Israel. Ironically, in 1967, while defending itself, Israel liberated the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from Jordanian and Egyptian occupation.
It has repeatedly offered the Palestinians their state ever since, in exchange for peace. The Palestinians have continually refused to accept their state and make peace. Abba Eban, the noted diplomat, said it best: "The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity."
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The newly elected Hamas government continues to openly advocate the destruction of Israel. It claimed the latest suicide bombing, in a restaurant in Tel Aviv on April 17, was justified.
In the absence of a partner for peace, Israel took the unilateral step of withdrawing from the Gaza Strip last summer. The next steps will undoubtedly include a strategic withdrawal from the West Bank and the completion of a defensive fence to prevent suicide bombers.
Shlomo Karni
UNM faculty
