David Gilet, Byron Bay
Once again, Danny Wakil produces his specious and unconvincing arguments in the debate about the Israeli/Palestinian situation. In particular, he fails to acknowledge that the lands the Israeli’s wish to annex are conceded by the United Nations, and the majority of world organisations, to be illegally occupied by Israel.
The 50 billion dollars offered to the Palestinians as compensation for loss of their lands is an insult compared to the billions of dollars of support offered, yearly, to Israel – and is embarrassingly small in comparison to the vast sums given to Israeli corporations who support the US economy.
Thanks for your comment Dave. For some unknown reason the Echo refused publication of the following letter which in contrast to Dani Wakil’s letter is well researched and presents new information about the violent nature of the Netanyahu government:
Dany Wakil’s pro-Israel account of the Camp David peace talks (March 25) which accuses Arafat of walking away from the deal without a counter offer is extremely simplistic. Charles Smith’s “Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A History with Documents” (available in the Richond-Tweed Library), offers a counter, sober, academic account. Mr Wakil accuses the Palestinians of teaching violence and cites the terrorist killing of 35 Israeli bus passengers. However, Netanyahu and wife, recently paid homage at the elaborately ornate Baruch Goldstein shrine. He killed 29 and injured 150 worshippers in the Ibrahimi mosque, Hebron. When Palestinians protested, 21 were gunned down by the Israeli occup ation forces and the heart of Hebron, Shuhada Street, closed down to all but Jews. To this day it remains closed and its shop and home doors welded shut. Netanyahu told the illegal settlers at the shrine that his political party, Likud, is the party of Baruch Goldstein!
However, this genocidal attitude is not confined to Netanyahu and Likud. Take for example the mass rally in Tel Aviv (April, 2016) where thousands of Israelis bestowed hero status on Israeli soldier Elor Azaria who murdered an injured Palestinian. Jewish reporter Dan Cohen tweeted, “Crowd chants “Elor the hero” and “death to Arabs.” This seems more like a celebration of murder than anything”. Finally, The Times of Israel published an op-ed article by Yonathon Gordon advocating genocide which was quickly taken down (https://www.ibtimes.com/when-genocide-permissible-article-taken-down-times-israel-yochanan-gordons-post-sparks-1646490). Israel’s 70 year occupation of Palestine is characterised by murder and mayhem, by the destruction of schools, homes, orchards and olive groves, by administrative detention and military courts for kids, by Palestinian vehicle registration plates, check points, total surveillance and roads for Jews only. No wonder Israel finds acceptance by torturing Egypt, Saudi Arabia and by the the far right in Brazil, Hungary and Poland!
White people took the land that we now live inn, are we going to give it back??? hang on there was no religion involved. Didn’t Palestine take it from the Israelite’s to start with? Peru – Spain, even Canada all someone else’s land.
@ Darren Gray.
The Difference is they are still taking it every day, now in 2020. And no, Palestinians didn’t take it from the Israelis, that’s absurd.
Just because bad stuff happened in the past, does that mean we should be OK with it now? So because The British colonized many places, does that mean it is OK for the British to do it now? That’s a very careless logical fallacy.
It is Palestine because millions of Palestinians live there, not because of ancient history. Israel should either let everyone vote or it should let those it refuses to let vote have their own country. Holding millions of people under military law with no vote on who controls their life for generations all the while forcing them into ever shrinking ghettos is not a position anyone should support – it is brutal.
Can you tell me what Palestinians should do, live under brutal military occupation and apartheid forever? Is that what you think is the best thing?