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Orson Scott Card: "A Visit to Israel"
Interesting commentary by Orson Scott Card about both sides of the Israel/Palestinian conflict, and the attitudes of both populations. Iâm quoting only a small piece - read the whole.The idea of building such a wall makes sense. If Palestinians continue to shelter and applaud terrorists instead of being ashamed of them and refusing to cooperate with them, then they donât deserve to have free access to Israel -- even if thatâs where all the jobs are. The trouble with Ariel Sharonâs wall is not that itâs being built, but where heâs building it. You see, Sharon is politically dependent on (and personally sympathetic to) groups inside Israel who insist on building Jewish settlements in "Judea and Samaria," and he is gerrymandering the wall to include settlements far inside the 1967 borders of the West Bank. The result is a border that is ridiculous in every way a border can be. It is indefensible -- it snakes around worse than a meandering river, and there arenât enough troops in Israel to patrol it or defend it. By its very shape, it guarantees that Israel will still have to enter Palestinian territory regularly, and that terrorists -- or an invasion force -- would be able to get through the wall when they want to, since an undefended wall is not a wall, itâs cover. Worse yet, it would be impossible, even in a completely free and democratic Palestine, for any leader ever to be elected without vowing to destroy that wall and restore the borders of 1967. Sharonâs wall, if built where heâs planning to build it, will be a continuing provocation -- and one that weakens, rather than strengthens, Israelâs defensive position. America should be ready to take any measure necessary -- including war -- to protect the existence of Israel. But America should not spend one thin dime or risk one drop of American blood to defend Sharonâs wall, if it is placed where he is placing it. Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2003-11-05 |
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