COLUMNS that claim to be an affront to something that is biased, one-sided and non-factual should at least be factual in content. It is great to have discussion and intellectual clashes on an issue, but to present non-factual material is counterproductive. In Blair Reeves' Jan. 16 guest viewpoint, "One side does not fit all," there are several blatant misrepresentations and offensive statements.
First of all, Reeves tries to establish that there is a coherent attempt by pro-Israeli activists to "de-legitimize candid debate." This claim is false. On Grounds, "Hoos for Israel" as well as other pro-Israel groups, have worked to spur debate, and allow for people to engage in substantive discussion on the issue.
Each side to an issue has the right to point out things that are contentious in the other side's position. Thus allowing open communication and debate only works to flesh out the differences and help with working out problems.
With regard to the claims of the "pro-Israel lobby" that "automatically and emotionally" attacks "voices of criticism," many people fail to account for an overwhelming majority of the American population that agrees the United States-Israeli relationship is good for both countries, that divestment in Israel is not warranted and that Israel is the most democratic state in the Middle East. Americans support Israel because it is a country that practices democracy, doesn't just preach it. Israel holds open elections in which all Israeli citizens -- regardless of race, religion, gender -- are able to vote. Israel is a capitalist country that promotes a free economy and the rule of law. Claims of Shin Bet abducting and torturing people are unsubstantiated and lack any evidence. In fact, Israel is the only Middle Eastern nation to outlaw torture.
I am the first to admit that a Palestinian state, separate from Israel, must be created in order to ensure a lasting peace in the region. However, the characterization of Israel's settlement policy and its effect on the peace process is twisting the reality of the situation. According to "Myths and Facts: A guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict" by Mitchell G. Bard, 80 percent of the Jewish settlement population in the West Bank lies within the 2 percent of the West Bank that is immediately adjacent to Israel proper. Israeli peace proposals of Camp David II and subsequent meetings proposed a completely contiguous Palestinian state in the West Bank under completely autonomous rule that, through land swapping agreements, would remove nearly 80 percent of the Jewish settlement population from the West Bank and swap land with more Palestinian-populated portions of Israeli proper that border the West Bank to the south.
However, the response of Yasser Arafat to these proposals was not negotiation, but the beginning of the Intifada, violence and terrorism. Sometimes people believe the misconception that Israel has violated "14 U.N. resolutions since 1967." Israel has not in fact violated these resolutions, which call for a negotiation between Israel and Palestinians on a peaceful resolution to the conflict. In fact, the most contentious U.N. resolution, calling for Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, was completely fulfilled by Israel through its pullout a few years ago.
The Palestinian refugee issue is often misunderstood as a problem of the right of return. However, U.N. Security Resolutions 184 and 242 call for the "achieving of a just settlement of the refugee problem" and call for the negotiation of the "repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation" of Palestinian refugees. It is often believed that during the 1948 and 1967 wars that it was Israel which forced Palestinians from their homes. However, the majority of refugees fled before the 1948 war even began, and the majority of those who did flee during the 1948 and 1967 wars fled in wake of the Jordanian armies moving into the West Bank. After the 1967 war, Israel facilitated the reunion of over 50,000 Palestinian families with those in Israel and provided economic aid to those families to allow them to rebuild their homes in Israel. Today, Israel, along with the United States provides millions of dollars in aid to Palestinian refugees in order to help foster relations that will hopefully lead to a lasting peace.
I want to address the characterization of "a phantom anti-Semitism." Although many who partake in this debate do come from the point of view to do better for the world, the Palestinian people, and all other parties involved, it is also the case that many do not. To characterize people whom one does not know personally in situations that one has not faced intimately "as myopic and insulting" is offensive to me and anyone else who has been the victim of such attacks simply because of religion, race or any other similar situation.
Finally, I would like to emphasize that there are several students and members of the faculty at the University who have signed a petition stating that they, "As members of the University of Virginia community, support a strong relationship between the State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, and the United States, built on a shared commitment to peace, security, freedom and democracy. We share in Israel's eternal dream for peace in the Middle East."If you wish to add support to this statement or wish to learn more about the United States-Israeli relationship please contact Hoos For Israel at Hoos-for-Israel@virginia.edu.
(Robert Schwartz is Vice President of Hoos for Israel).
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