No End in Sight.
Reader comment on article: To End the [Palestinian] Violence

Submitted by Giulio Battiston (Spain), Jan 11, 2003 at 20:57

Dear Mr Pipes,

Although it is clear from your writings that you, like many others, would like to see an end to the violence marring the lives of many Israelis and Palestinians, it is also clear that you are unwilling ... to admit that Israel's origins are politically and judicially dubious as to their legality.

As to the effect of the displacement of Palestinians, you sorely underestimate the will of a people to their land. Israel occupies territory that is technically not its own, and it is in flagrant violation of numerous UN resolutions. The one way to peace would be to pressure it to comply with UN resolutions, a course of action which has a better chance of lasting longer than any "negotiated settlement", destined to fail for their obviously flawed land grabbing nature.

Everyone knows that water is a problem in the area but does that give any nation the right to perpetrate crimes against humanity? and one believes this is the case, does that not make redundant any accusation against the Palestinians?

What is happening in the middle east is horrendous for both sides and siding with either when they are in the wrong simply intensifies the problem without posing a solution. Our best course of action must be to make both (or all three) sides comply with UN resolutions.

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