West Bank and Gaza Conflict

During the past two months we have followed with special interest and deep concern reports in the media dealing with civil disorders in the West Bank and Gaza. News stories with accompanying editorial commentaries and repugnant cartoons have provided only a partial reflection of a complex historic struggle by the people of Israel to establish that nation’s freedom and security. Whatever one’s views may be with regard to particular Israeli policies or actions taken in response to the incidents of violence, it is necessary to see the Arab-Israeli conflict in its complete context.

On many occasions, beginning with the 1947 partition of Palestine and continuing through the Camp David Accords, the Arab world has had the opportunity to provide a homeland for the Palestinian people. Yet, it did nothing. Today, the same opportunity and challenge remain, as Israel awaits an Arab leader who desires peaceful coexistence with Israel, one who will enter negotiations on that basis. It is time for Arab states to cease their 40-year policy of using the Palestinians as political pawns.

We have been witness to traumatic events in Iran, Egypt and Lebanon over the past decade. Muslim religious fanaticism is spreading today throughout the Arab world in the form of radical political activism. The influence of this movement is seen in the Palestinian uprisings and in fears expressed by Arab leaders throughout the Middle East.

The National Covenant of the PLO calls for the destruction of Israel through “armed struggle.” As a result, Israel and the Western world have witnessed years of violence and terror against innocent people, including the murder of moderate Palestinian leaders. In recent PLO radio broadcasts, Yasser Arafat has exhorted West Bank and Gaza residents to engage in violent revolution to “liberate Palestine” from the Israeli “invaders.” Realism has caused many Palestinians to reject the message, methods and leadership of the PLO.

Since 1967 Israel has provided Palestinian communities on the West Bank and Gaza with educational programs, health care services and employment opportunities. Before the 1967 Six Day War, there were no universities on the West Bank and in Gaza. Today there are five. Twice as many health professionals now serve these areas as did in 1967. Twelve nursing schools have been opened there since 1971. During this period, Israel’s repeated invitations to Arab nations to join in this task of economic development have received little response.

Further, the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, in response to a request from the government of Israel, has launched a major community redevelopment effort to upgrade the educational opportunities and social needs of both Arabs and Jews living in Ajami-Lev Yafo, a distressed Arab-Jewish neighborhood of Tel Aviv.

In the present circumstances, Israel, like every other government, is obligated to insure civil order in the territories under its jurisdiction. Efforts to find a solution to the Palestinian issue can only proceed after peace and order have been restored.

Newspapers have the capacity to portray current events to their readers in a balanced and comprehensive manner, reflecting the historical context and underlying complexities of a given situation. It is my hope that The Times will fulfill this expectation.

STANLEY HIRSH

President

Jewish Federation Council

of Greater Los Angeles