"Speak soft but carry a big stick"(T. Roosevelt)
Reader comment on article: Does Israel Need a Plan?

Submitted by alex (Canada), Feb 2, 2003 at 22:46

First, of course, thank you for the article. It's without exception the best piece about war against Israel I've ever read, and I'm reading articles on the subject in three languages( with three different biases).
Second, thank you for your firm words on CBC. Canadians are very nice people, but the complaicency of the majority of the population here is most unfortunate. Too bad I didn't know you were coming to Toronto- it would have been great to hear you in person.
I share most views expressed in your article, but I don't share your optimism.
It seems to me that just like it took many centuries for the European Christians to proceed from the Middle Ages with their crusades, and religious fanaticism to the kind of society they have now it may take centuries for the Arabs to have the "change in hearts" you're speaking about. And untill then it's only the military and economic might of Israel that can ensure it's own very existence, not any roadmaps or generous unilateral concessions. The help from other democracies would be handy but as each one of them persues its own goals in the region- Israellis can't really count on many of them.
The most unfortunate thing here is in my opinion is that this Palestinian onslaught continues to be perceived as a liberation movement by many in the West. This allows many democratic governments to go on sending vast sums of money to the Palestinian Authority. This money is ment to improve the health care, education and what not. We all know where this money ends up instead.
So it seems fair to say that the change in hearts of the Arabs should be preceded by the change in hearts of the people in the West.

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