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Herald News, April 11, 2008 By Salah Issa, Highland Park
Letter writer Jonathan
Gold's comments about Aref Assaf (Letters to the editor,
April 4) are sad and one-sided. Assaf is not justifying the
violence in Israel and Palestine, he is stating that both sides
have terrorized each other, and he believes that since Israel is
a responsible democratic state that is collectively punishing
the "citizens" of Palestine (especially in Gaza) it is
committing terrorism at a worse level than the Palestinians.
That is because Israel's policies are affecting all
Palestinians, and unlike Israeli citizens, they do not have a
government to go to; that is one reason they end up supporting
terrorist groups.
Still, despite his one-sided view, I would like to make a
broader point.
Assaf is a community leader who is trying to bridge gaps
between different groups, including those that are pro-Israeli
and pro-Palestinian. To try to attack him for holding a personal
opinion on who causes more terrorism is shallow. We should
support such men if we hope to resolve the Palestinian and
Israeli issues.
In Israel, Palestinians and the Jews resolve their issues by
killing each other. If we here, geographically removed from the
situation, cannot discuss the issues at hand in a moderate and
balanced way like adults, what chance do those living overseas
have?
Salah Issa, Highland Park
Related,
An unyielding Arab voice
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