Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site alliant.UUCP Path: utzoo!lsuc!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!decvax!linus!alliant!gottlieb From: gottlieb@alliant.UUCP (Bob Gottlieb) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Israeli militarism Message-ID: <165@alliant.UUCP> Date: Tue, 4-Feb-86 19:51:20 EST Article-I.D.: alliant.165 Posted: Tue Feb 4 19:51:20 1986 Date-Received: Mon, 10-Feb-86 22:00:55 EST References: <3630048@csd2.UUCP> <574@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP> Reply-To: gottlieb@alliant.UUCP (Bob Gottlieb) Organization: Alliant Computer Systems, Acton, MA Lines: 50 In article <582@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP> (Chedley Aouriri) writes: >In my opinion, it is this israeli concern for military defense >which is blocking Israel from seeing the light at the end of the >tunnel. That concern leads many israeli leaders to adopt the >axiom "The best defense is the attack or offense". This axiom >was the israeli justification of its invasion of Lebanon in 1982. >They (the israelis) may and are reusing it to justify further military >actions or invasions whenever the balance of force tips in their >favor. >History teaches that many nations and leaders got trapped in that >axiom whenever they adopted it. Eventually, it caused their downfall. >From a politico-military point of view, Hanibal, Neron, Hitler ... >and several others could trace their downfall to their strict >adoption of this concept "Best defense = attack". >Further, the adoption of this concept by Israel has the negative >effect of making the israelis overlook any slight chance for a >peaceful settlment. For PEACE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF WAR!! I am totally dumbfounded at this letter. Totally. Israel has negotiated with any of its neighbors willing to accept its right to exist (while not agreeing necessarily on the borders). To date that has been one: Egypt. They negotiated, and the land taken as a result of the 1973 war (which was, like most of the wars against Israel, not started by Israel - you can quibble over semanitics on the 1967 war, but ignoring that for the moment) was returned. There is NO evidence that Israel is not willing to negotiate, given that the neighbor is willing to accept peace. Israel would LOVE peace. It would probably accept its original borders if it felt it could have peace. However, the history of the situation shows otherwise - Syria, Jordan, and Egypt have all attacked Israel. At the present time, Egypt is cool but friendly, Jordan is cool but not cold (although they still need to recognize that Israel has a right to exist before haggling over the borders), and Syria would still like to drive Israel into the sea. So saying that Israel will "overlook any slight chance" is an outragous statement. It is hard for the steer to negotiate with the butcher, and until Israel's neighbors (excluding Egypt) show some willingness to accept Israel as an entity, there is no chance for peace. Israel is willing to take a chance for peace (Camp David was definitely a chance), but it ain't willing to let its throat be cut. We've had enough martyrs, thank you. -- -- Bob Gottlieb UUCP: ...!linus!alliant!gottlieb Mail: Alliant Computer Systems Corp, 42 Nagog Park, Acton, MA 01720 Phone: (617) 263-9110 Foot: "You can't get there from here". --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I don't know what I'm doing, and Alliant isn't responsible either, so there!"