Considering Mideast Peace
September 15, 2009
Letters to the Editor
Considering Mideast Peace
Yossi Alpher may be right that “for many Israelis, the peace with Egypt and Jordan has not appeared sufficiently beneficial.”
But Israelis take this peace for granted. Suppose there had not been any such peace: At any time during the recent wars with the Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Gaza’s Hamas Egypt may have launched a full-scale invasion. What if Egypt had decided to invade at the height of Israel’s vulnerability during the second Intifada?
Arab states, in contrast with non-state Palestinian organizations, have always honored deals they have made with Israel. Therefore, there is no reason to think that a deal among Israel and all the Arab states (through the Arab League) would not lead to peace.
It is bewildering that the Israeli right-wing seems to prefer settlement expansionism and occupation to peace and security.
James Adler