Middle East Crisis Does Not Constitute Race War

To the editors:

I was disgusted by the piece you ran suggesting that the nature of the conflict in Israel today is a “racist colonial oppression” (Op-Ed, “An Ideology of Oppression,” April 11). The writer clearly misunderstands what is going on and the history involved.

First of all, it is preposterous to suggest that there is a racial conflict. Many Jews in Israel came from (indeed, were expelled from) Arab countries and are racial brothers to Arabs. In fact, that’s part of what makes it difficult to maintain security within Israel—it is not clear who is friend or foe just by looking. Moreover, it’s just untrue that all Israeli soldiers are white. Hailing from across the world—with immigrants from Ethiopia and Morocco, from the Former Soviet Union and India, Israel has one of the most diverse armies in the world. Arab Druze are Israeli citizens who serve in the army as well—are they to be accused of racial discrimination?

As for U.S. involvement, while Israel gets U.S. aid, so does the Palestinian Authority (PA). Instead of spending their money on infrastructure, education, or any needs of a future state, however, the PA has instead chosen to invest in weapons, as was confirmed on Jan. 3 when the Karine A ship was intercepted. PA Leader Yasser Arafat has extended his “elected” presidency indefinitely, and there is no democratic process, quieting all Palestinian voices. Suicide bombings, funded by the PA, occur regularly.

Moreover, American support should only be stronger for Israel than it is today. The irony and hypocrisy of attacking Afghanistan and bombing numerous civilians while blaming Israel for bombing arms factories with previous warning and arresting criminals endangering civilians seems to have been lost on many Americans.

Lastly, the Americans have called on Arafat to do more, which the writer suggests is impossible One thing that he could easily do, something that doesn’t require a personal jet or a bodyguard or even a working cellphone, he has refused to do: condemn suicide bombings, in Arabic. Until he does so, how can Israel relate to him, and the people who maintain him as their leader, as anything less than an enemy? It is by his own choice, with the rejection of the Barak plan and every day since, that Palestinians do not have a state already and there is not peace in the Middle East.

Shira H. Fischer ’01

Jerusalem, Israel

April 11, 2002