Israel’s Problem: Survival
People may criticize Israel’s Prime Minister (Yitzhak) Shamir for his on-camera scowl or hard-line approach. But they cannot fault his assertion that Israel’s real problem with its Arab neighbors is not territorial compromise but Israeli survival.
That is why the PLO was birthed in 1964--three years before the Six Day War--and called for the destruction of Israel. And why, after the 1967 war when Israel offered to negotiate a peaceful solution, they were given the infamous “three no’s” from the Arabs: “No recognition; no peace; no negotiation.”
I want functional autonomy for Palestinian Arabs. But the very idea of Israel being arm-twisted to reduce her territorial borders is immoral. The Arab League is 485 times the size of Israel, including the so-called “Occupied Territories.” Texas is 26 times larger than Israel. Jordan is three-fourths of original Palestine. If Israel relinquished Judea and Samaria, the so-called West Bank, the country would be reduced to 9 miles at its center.
The discussion should be “peace for peace.” If it is to be “land for peace,” then runtish Israel might demand--and not illogically--to receive an added slice of land, not the other way around.
THE REV. FRANK EIKLOR
President, Shalom International
Costa Mesa
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