The letter to the editor Shocked and disturbed by Harper’s trip to Israel, on Jan. 31, concerning Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Middle East, talks of “his refusal to address Israel’s illegal and unjust conduct related to the illegal settlements in occupied Palestine — a direct violation of international law.”
May I point out that after six-million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, and after Hitler’s old wornout and leaky ships were employed to haul Jewish refugees to any country that would take them (and were refused at every foreign port, even Canada’s government of the day and whose prime minister no less was the Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King, who said, “None is too many,”) did these leaky boats make their way to Palestine to be accepted by Jews who were already there.
The Arabs rose up in arms against these refugees. They ordered the British occupiers to honour the White Paper that limited Jews in Palestine to 15,000 immigrants.
Arab violence was returned by counter-violence. The British could not control their mandate. The British announced in May 1948 that they would withdraw their forces.
The Jews said they would announce their independence.
The Arabs vowed they would invade the Jewish state and drive the Jews into the sea and establish a pure Arab state. Thus began the Long War, consisting of the pre-invasion (1947), the War of Independence (1948), the Sinai Campaign (1956), and the Six-Day War (1967).
In that war, 80 million Arabs could not be vanquished by a mere 600,000 Jews. But to no avail. The Arab armies were routed.
In the previous wars, ceasefires and peace were established. In the 1967 campaign, where Israel won back the Golan Heights, West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, peace has never been established.
The Arab countries that fought against Israel have vowed to continue the agitation and to attack again at some future date.
So, Israel owns all of Israel, by inheritance, by purchase and by war. This includes the parts of Israel that are known today as the Golan Heights, West Bank, Gaza and all of Jerusalem.
Now, can you tell me who is rightful owner of Israel and the so-called Palestinian territories? How can the Palestinians claim as the West Bank and Gaza as their territory?
Do you still believe that Harper should address the illegal settlements in those aforementioned territories?
How about Harper addressing the Palestinians to apologize for all the rock-throwing children at Israeli citizens and soldiers, suicide bombers coming to Israel to take out cafés, supermarkets, buses and any other of their multitude of targets?
How about the thousands of missiles that have been lobbed at Israel every day for years from the West Bank and Gaza?
Isn’t it about time the illegal and guilty peacefully surrender to the objects of their hate?
It’s about time those Arab states that would not make peace after the Six Day War do the right thing. Wouldn’t you agree? So that a real lasting peace can finally be declared; that we can all work together for the greater good of all and we can get on with our destiny — to build the final and great temple in Jerusalem by all faiths of the world?
Carmen Wallace
Red Deer