Xref: utzoo talk.politics.mideast:902 can.politics:1530 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!alberta!cdshaw From: cdshaw@alberta.UUCP (Chris Shaw) Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast,can.politics Subject: Re: No Suicide for Israel Message-ID: <1168@pembina.UUCP> Date: 28 Mar 88 07:06:36 GMT References: <1988Mar20.223551.471@lsuc.uucp> <948@micomvax.UUCP> Reply-To: cdshaw@pembina.UUCP (Chris Shaw) Organization: U. of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Lines: 64 In article <948@micomvax.UUCP> ray@micomvax.UUCP (Ray Dunn) writes: >Didn't the Arab nations have every right to refuse the acceptance of a >hostile nation being dumped into their midst?? Yes. But was Israel a hostile nation? I doubt it. The 1948 war came as a result of a concerted Arab assault. The 1967 war was a result of initial Arab attack. Same with the Yom Kippur war. >I believe it is as reasonable to expect the Arab nations to accept the >existence of Israel, which was thrust upon them, as it would now be for >Israel to accept its own suicide. Clearly this is a nonsensical parallel. The Arab nations are not committing suicide by officially accepting the existence of Israel. Israel already exists. Accepting that fact is a political problem, not a security problem. No Israeli government has suggested that the occupied territories be annexed to Israel proper, so there is clearly no validity to the claim that Israel is on some land-grabbing campaign. >Thus: stalemate? Perhaps. But isn't Israel the one who is in the better >position to compromise. Israel is oppressing its neighbours to *maintain* a >secure position...the neighbours have already *lost* their security!!!! This is clearly nonsense. Does Israel oppress Egypt? Negotiation has shown to be successful with this one Arab state, to both countries' benefits. Egypt gained back all the territory it lost. >It might be difficult in practical terms, but the only *justified* >*military* action Israel can take, at this stage of a plethora of blunders, >inconsistencies and injustices, is to defend itself from within its own >borders. Period. This is nonsense. There is plenty of precedent and scope in international law for a trans-border assault in hot pursuit of people firing guns at you. (Witness the recent Nicaraguan situation) The situation in Lebanon some years ago is similar. There was a substantial group of PLO people who took advantage of the power vacuum caused by the Labanese civil war to set up camp in southern Lebanon. These folk then used this as a base for attacking northern Israel. Clearly there was ample justification for Israel's northern invasion. And clearly once the job had been done, (and the power vacuum filled apprpriately) Israel left the area. >Frankly it's when {the west, the media, etc, etc} *stop* complaining about >the actions of Israel in the curent situation that Israel and those who >support them should start worrying! What happened in the 30's when the >world conveniently chose to look the other way? Would you not agree it is >*always* better to shout "injustice", no matter what the detailed nuances >might happened to currently be? I agree. But that doesn't mean that one should be foolish about it. Complain rationally and when it's justified. Reveal your hidden agenda. Use evidence. Do not lend too much weight to inferred intent. >Ray Dunn. ..{philabs, mnetor, musocs}!micomvax!ray -- Chris Shaw cdshaw@alberta.UUCP (via watmath, ihnp4 or ubc-vision) University of Alberta CatchPhrase: Bogus as HELL !