Time to fight for peace

Letters

Editor: Bonnie Klein ("Invite debate, reflection," Bulletin, Oct. 4) was booed, rightly or wrongly, because many people are becoming fed up with the never-ending imbalance of criticism directed at Jews and Israel from around the world decade after decade after decade. She is definitely a tremendously courageous person. However, the relatives of the victims of the suicide murderers probably wouldn't be too concerned about how terrified she was to speak and how much she suffered from the booing of the "mob" on the evening of Sept. 11.

She saw free speech in action at the meeting – she was not prevented from making her comments and asking her questions and the audience was also free to express their opinion by booing. She refers to this as "mob mentality." Well then, try speaking your mind at a local pro-Palestinian meeting or try having a pro-Israeli speaker at Concordia or at any other "liberal" university.

It is not "against Israel to empathize and even grieve with the Palestinian people." But when "Jews who love Israel" are less skeptical about the propaganda in a film like Gaza Strip than they are about the Israeli point of view, then the word "love" must have assumed a new meaning. When a Palestinian woman in the movie says, "Don't these Jewish mothers have children?" does she mean, because she hasn't seen any Jewish children on the front lines throwing stones or shielding gunmen or blowing themselves up in crowds of people? When a Palestinian woman says "They want to drive us into the sea," she is practising projection. This woman must know that Ehud Barak offered peace and land and that Yasser Arafat reciprocated with an intifada, hoping once again to push Israel into the Mediterranean.

Klein talks about "demonizing the enemy." Most of us do not consider the Palestinian people or Muslims to be our enemy. But we do consider the terrorists to be our enemy and the enemy of the Palestinian people. Klein has got the shoe on the wrong foot. Israel and the Jews are called the "Little Satan" by the Palestinians. Klein speaks of the Israeli and Palestinian peace-seeking factions as if the rest of us are not in favor of peace. We are all in favor of peace, but some people strive for peace by the Neville Chamberlain method and others by forcibly removing evil leaders like Slobodan Milosevic.

Klein was correct to question David Frum about the need to go to war to rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein. Iraq must be forced to allow inspectors the freedom to do their work and destroy unsavory weapons. However, without American threats, would Iraq allow such inspections? The sanctions could have worked but certain factions were gullible enough to blame the deaths and illnesses of children on the sanctions rather than on Saddam, and other factions supplied Iraq with banned items for profit and oil.

Klein's alternative for peace is certainly preferable: "... to listen and learn together with patience and faith." Such tactics would probably work if the adversaries were the ordinary Palestinian people. But they are not. They are the terrorists and fanatics like Arafat, Hussein and Osama bin Laden who kill, torture and bully their own people. Klein's alternative merely maintains their legitimacy and longevity. While Klein loses nothing by being patient and dialoguing, Israelis are being murdered and Israel's economy and morale are taking a beating. Can Israel offer a better peace plan than Barak did (without rewarding Arafat for his intifadal rages)?

The stakes are very high and talk is cheap. Israel could be decimated (Iraq would see to that). Peace or no peace, worldwide anti-Judaism could destroy the rest of us (especially without Israel). Militant Islam would see to that as they convert or kill the rest of the infidels in this world. Israel is not perfect and not beyond criticism, but Klein and her ilk need not repeatedly pat the Palestinians on the back while putting the knife to Israel's spine. Israel (as small as it is) and Jews (as few as we are) have enough enemies. Save some criticism for the true villains in this world. Each time Israel takes a hit from its critics, especially the Jewish ones, Arafat and his terrorists rise from the ashes once again and peace edges closer to the abyss.

There is a time to talk for peace and there is a time to fight for peace. Sometimes more lives are lost during the dialogue than during the fight.

Howard Stein
Vancouver

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