American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee

The Baltimore Sun September 4, 2001

http://www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/letters/bal-ed.le.04ssep04.story?coll=bal%2Dopinion%2Dletters

Let NATO enforce Israel's withdrawal from occupied areas

Thomas Friedman wants the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza to end, not because the Palestinian people have a right to live in freedom and govern themselves as all other people do, but because the occupation poses demographic and military problems for Israel ("Let NATO control West Bank, Gaza," Opinion Commentary, Aug. 28).

His solution, based entirely on the Israeli point of view and the racist assumption that Palestinians are unfit for self-government and independence, is "for Israel to turn these areas over to NATO" - and replace Israeli colonialism in Palestine with NATO colonialism.

The whole scheme seems to be a ploy to enable Israel to keep whatever it wants of the occupied territories, jettison the Palestinian population and have NATO enforce its dictates, which bear an uncanny resemblance to the Camp David proposals the Palestinians rightly rejected.

If NATO is used to enforce anything, it should be to enforce international law, which insists that the Israeli occupation end completely - not to solve problems for Israel but so the Palestinians might finally live, as Americans and others do, as free people in their own country.

Hussein Ibish Washington The writer is communications director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

	4 September 2001
	ADC Letter in Baltimore Sun on Thomas Friedman's Plan for NATO rule over Palestinians

	The Baltimore Sun September 4, 2001 http://www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/letters/bal-ed.le.04ssep04.story?coll=bal%2Dopinion%2Dletters Let NATO enforce Israel's withdrawal from occupied areas Thomas Friedman wants the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza to end, not because the Palestinian people have a right to live in freedom and govern themselves as all other people do, but because the occupation poses demographic and military problems for Israel ("Let NATO control West Bank, Gaza," Opinion Commentary, Aug. 28). His solution, based entirely on the Israeli point of view and the racist assumption that Palestinians are unfit for self-government and independence, is "for Israel to turn these areas over to NATO" - and replace Israeli colonialism in Palestine with NATO colonialism. The whole scheme seems to be a ploy to enable Israel to keep whatever it wants of the occupied territories, jettison the Palestinian population and have NATO enforce its dictates, which bear an uncanny resemblance to the Camp David proposals the Palestinians rightly rejected. If NATO is used to enforce anything, it should be to enforce international law, which insists that the Israeli occupation end completely - not to solve problems for Israel but so the Palestinians might finally live, as Americans and others do, as free people in their own country. Hussein Ibish Washington The writer is communications director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.