Richard Weatherill’s oblique attempt to rebut my support for Israel ignores that the West Bank territory and Gaza were kept by Israel after one of the wars by Arab states against Israel, the economic benefits that many Muslims have received from Israel, and that some of those Arab states and Iran continue to make war against Jews. Many rockets made in China and supplied by Iran have been fired into Israel in recent years – why?
When the UN recommended in 1948 that a state be established for the few Palestinians in the area, those Arab states prevented it, instead attacking Israelis with the expressed objective of “pushing the Jews into the sea”. They repeated wars, losing every one, so switched to terrorism and rockets as tactics. At one time Jordan grabbed the West Bank, but Israel took it when Jordan attacked Israel.
Prior to the 1948 war on Israel many Muslims lived and worked there. Unfortunately many bet with their feet that Israel would lose, so ended up in refugee camps across the border.
Israel wanted a buffer zone against attacks from the Arab states, and overall Jews wanted a state in which they would not be persecuted as they’ve been in other states – increasingly so in western Europe today. Tragically they’ve instead suffered from persecution by Arabs and Iranians. What does Weatherill recommend to stop that dishonesty?
Keith Sketchley
Saanich