Ethan Bronner starts to present a balanced view of the conflict between Israel and the United States - initiated by President Obama - over settlement growth in "Obama Pins..."
He quotes Yossi Beilin, Oslo's architect, but counters him with Efraim Inbar of the Begin-Sadat Institute and Sarah Honig of the Jerusalem Post.
As the articles nears it end, however, balance is upset and a slant sets in.
"The Fourth Geneva Convention forbids a country to settle its civilians in areas conquered militarily. Israel set up military outposts that turned into civilian settlements."The Fourth Geneva prevents the forcible transfer of civilians to areas conquered militarily; it does not prevent citizens who settle of their own volition, as Jews have in Judea & Samaria on the Jordan River's west bank.
"Palestinians were enraged [by settlement construction]. Some resorted to terrorism, leading some Israelis to argue that settlements were a vital front line to protect the heartland."The causal link between settlement construction and Palestinian terrorism is abhorrent. Palestinian terrorists, usually sent by Hamas, have been against the existence of Israel, in general, not just settlement construction. To suggest that terrorism is a direct result of settlements is a fabrication.
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Well said. Organized and systematic Palestinian terrorism precedes Israel's independence.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to note what Bronner may be doing here, setting up the Israeli argument illogical: We (Israel) build settlements. The Palestinians then resort to terrorism. But the settlements protect us against that terrorism, so the settlements have value.
Sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it? Especially if Bronner's chronology is to be believed.