Letters to the Editor

Awareness week an obstacle to peace I am averse
to contributing to the whiny din erupting from ideologues on both
sides of the Israeli-Palestinian “debate.” History will
always have its diverging versions, some accounts that will lend
credence to one side versus another. The last thing this
week’s events, titled “Israel and Palestine: Obstacles
to Peace,” will probably do is get anyone closer to seeing a
way to peace. Peace is predicated on the notion of moving away from
a conception of history filled with resentment. Attend the events
this week and you will have a first-hand glimpse of history without
context. You will get to see propaganda films that do anything but
promote understanding and mutual recognition between Israelis and
Palestinians. You will see speakers who believe in everything but a
peaceful compromise between Israelis and Palestinians and the right
to live in two separate states, side by side. You will, in the eyes
of many, observe a carnival of hate, celebrating one monolithic
History over another, ignoring both nuance and balance, ignoring
the many actions the Palestinian nation has taken to foment not
understanding, but war. Rather than further contribute to the
circular and often aimless discourse of “debates,” by
all means let a suffering nation have its voices heard. If we as
individuals cannot distinguish between one country’s struggle
to exist and survive and another nation’s struggle to
destroy, then we have no hope. It is this inexplicable sensibility,
this ability to distinguish between right and wrong, that prevents
us from descending into a cycle of violence that destroys
civilization. Israel is a reality, albeit a flawed and imperfect
one. But it is a country that, like any other, will not yield
quietly to those who seek to destroy it. Millions around the world
do not accept this. I encourage people to see and experience their
propaganda, the numerous euphemisms for “rejectionism”
and not peace, the moral equivalence of suicide bombings. If you
cannot infer that the organizers of the “Israel and
Palestine: Obstacles to Peace” week believe Israel’s
mere existence to be the fundamental obstacle to be eliminated,
then there is no hope for peace, at least in our time.Ron
Lin Graduate student, chemistry

Terrorists do not deserve equal voice Groups
such as Students For Justice in Palestine and the United Arab
Society ““ as well as the media that covers them ““ often
blur the Israel-Palestine issue by portraying the conflict as one
between two rivaling factions, instead of a legitimate
nation’s struggle against terrorists. The organizers of the
“Israel and Palestine: Obstacles to Peace” events do
not contribute to dialogue. Rather, they hurt the cause by
attacking a country dedicated to achieving peace, instead of
focusing on ending the terrorism that forces Israel to react
violently in self-defense. The plight of the Palestinian people is
unfortunate. Yet, many of the surrounding Arab nations care little
about their suffering; many are dedicated to using the Palestinians
as a means of attacking Israel and the United States.
Israel’s enemies are almost always the United States’
enemies, and it is unfortunate that the United States’
enemies find ideological allies on our taxpayer-funded campuses.
Organizers sell the week as a chance to access views that
aren’t otherwise accepted. These despicable views are
banished to the fringes of college campuses, and rightly so; many
Americans ““ right or left ““ view Israel as an ally in
the War on Terror, and see no distinction between Israel’s
struggle against terrorism and their own. This isn’t
“visiting peace,” as the Daily Bruin’s headline
“Week to visit peace in the Middle East” (News, May 22)
suggests. It’s visiting a world of violence ““ and
victory for the United States’ enemies. It’s blaming a
country for its legitimate response to a violent aggressor
supported and sponsored by surrounding aggressor nations (such as
Iran), nations who are also the United States’ worst enemies
today. The week’s sponsored speakers will likely provide
intellectual ammunition to those who would destroy the state of
Israel. If Israel falls, the United States will lose its most
consistent and valuable ally of recent times, and the only
democracy in the region.David Lazar Vice chairman, Bruin
Republicans