My Letter to the Editor

“Occupied” or “Disputed” territories?

As far as I can determine, these two words are miles apart in meaning, but seem indistinguishable in their use by some Israelis as well as some of Israel’s friends  and all her foes alike. Depending upon who uses each word, it shows up on whose side of the political spectrum one belongs.

In reality, whenever there will be that long wished-for peace agreement, there will be also an eventual territorial realignment.  Then many of the established  ‘settlements’ which are in fact large cities with names of their own nowadays, will form part of the resolution of the dispute between Israel and a still to-be established new state.

At least, as long as the arguments heated as they may be, are about ‘ occupied territories’ and ‘ settlements’ it   is preferable to a real fight with the likes of Hamas over Tel Aviv, Haifa and above-all Jerusalem,- their real final objective.

In a peaceful neighbourhood,- all territorial disputes could be resolved,- peacefully!

Let us hope that the new Unity Government will have a positive impact upon this wished-for aim.

Malvina Malinek

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Comments in reply.

I really don't care whether the territories are called occupied or disputed. The settlements are illegal, should never have been made and should be evacuated.

 FYI: (Haaretz)

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the evacuation of Jews from a Hebron home based on legal advice. Netanyahu was told that:

"According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupier moving population into occupied land constitutes a war crime." Haaretz, May 13, 2012

It seems that Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein based the above conclusion on the the Fourth Geneva Convention which states in Article 49, paragraph 6: The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

According to the Israeli Attorney-General the Hebron home was illegal. The same goes for all the settlements. They all are illegal and should all be evacuated. The Israeli government by subsidies and other means has persuaded part of its civilian population to move into settlements. Other Israelis have done it on their own. They all are illegal.

David

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Hi David,- my old ex-American, now Australian sparring partner!

Looking back on the tens if not hundreds of thousands of people being killed while violating international law across that region every day, particularly now in Syria,- not to mention the similar number of US soldiers who have been and are still being sent across the world to try and rescue the victims of broken international laws and being killed in the process on all the Southern continents except Australia, (and Israel),-- what has international law actually achieved?

The post WW2 UN said “never again” genocide, war, etc. Nuremberg trials were supposed to stop it all. All in vain,- relegated to the dustbin and the history books.

Until there is a rapprochement between divergent ideologies, tribes, warring parties ,money disparity between rich and poor, clever and stupid,- no amount of laws will change anything on the ground. America has lost so many in combats around the globe without ‘saving” anyone,- there is no end in sight from Korea  to Afghanistan, the commies have won in Nth. Korea, Vietnam, Cubans have thumbed their noses at the US at the expense of a hapless nation,- even Venezuela, Bolivia, the drug cartels in Central America and Mexico.- who exactly is following ‘international law’ as prescribed by the USA and the West these days? Who is saving the Syrians from themselves?

 The people of Israel,- not relying on their leaders only,- are cleverer than you or me thank goodness.- Until their Palestinian Arab neighbours will choose Nethanyahu’s way instead of Assad’s, or Nasralla’s or Ahmanedinajad’s (whatever) ways,- they will continue to suffer. Israelis have not asked anyone else to die for them,- the Palestinians are victims of their own stupidity and the scapegoats of their Arab brethren. But the majority live quietly in comfort and relative peace on the West Bank! They know when they are onto a good thing to stick  to it, while pretending otherwise of course.

Like the Israeli Arabs, they  know they are on a better wicket than their fellow Arabs, so they don’t rock the boat too much. Just enough to be a nuisance and for the kids to have the excitement.
 So who are you or anyone to pontificate to others over there?

Laws are meant to be broken they say,- and international law is an arse,- just ask the multimillionaire pirates in Somalia who laughed in the face of the American invading army some years ago! They are still laughing all the way to the bank and in the face of the world’s armies and navies. There are anti-piracy laws of the seas, aren’t there?

Malvina
(visiting Israel in June)