A few basic points and a suggestion

Submitted by Tom Tonon (United States), Aug 3, 2006 at 19:37

1) The Jewish State of Israel was created in 1948 against the consent of the vast majority of the people living on the land in question.

2) The people who were morally wronged as a result of Fact (1) (Palestinians) lost their homes and land, and they and their direct descendents have never stopped fighting to have Fact (1) officially acknowledged by all World Governments.

3) If Israel and the West would acknowledge Fact (1) in a Peace Package, these Palestinians would have an alternative to violence. They would have a real bargaining chip more powerful than any violence.

4) The basis of the present ME conflict is thus simple, and it's resolution is simple - to honest brokers. It's not 5,000 years old, and it has nothing to do with what Hitler did to the Jews. Up to now, Cowardly Behavior on the part of Israel and the West - chiefly the US - prevents acknowledgement of simple Fact (1), and also prevents the obvrious, peaceful, and civil solutions that follow from such acknowledgement.

5) This suggestion, for Israel and the US to acknowledge that the creation of Israel was made against the consent of the vast majority of the people living on the land would be a monumental upheaval towards peace, at once freeing the Palestinians and Israelis from violence, and it would immediately give hope to the world that truth, honesty, and decency toward other human beings can still prevail.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

Daniel Pipes replies:

And the United States was created with the consent of the vast majority of the people living on the land? Arguably, if one goes far enough back, no country can make this claim.

Israel is a vibrant, decent, and prosperous country; so in any way to bring its existence into question is logically absurd and morally repugnant.