© Jordan White Enterprises
August 11, 1999
In regard to letters concerning Israel's
presence on Palestinian lands (Readers' Forum, July 28 and August 10), it is
important to understand that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza
Strip was undertaken illegally under international law. Under the original UN
Partition Resolution of l947, these lands were reserved for an "Arab
State". UN Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967 reiterates this by
stating that lands may not be acquired by war, and asks Israel to abide by the
UN Charter in the interests of peace. Under the Geneva Convention of 1945,
civilians may not be displaced or deprived of their property by military
action. Yet a total of 4.5 million, or 70% of the Palestinian population, has
been expatriated since 1948.
Israel continues to build settlements on this illegally occupied land, at a
population growth rate of about 9% a year. The remaining Arab population is
subjected to constant harassment and searches. Torture during interrogation is
legally sanctioned and an individual may be imprisoned for up to six months
without being charged with a crime.
If "world security" depends upon a nation using such tactics against
its own inhabitants, we need to rethink what we mean by "world
security". If a nation achieves what it thinks of as a
"democracy" by killing, maiming, and displacing millions, we need to
rethink what we mean by "democracy". If "progress" is
achieved by plowing under the olive trees, the homes, hopes and dreams of an innocent
people, we have achieved nothing.