No relations with Israel<\/p>\n
I would like to respond to the letter by Edward N.H. Abraham
\nregarding Indonesian relations with Israel. To understand why
\nIndonesia should not establish diplomatic relations with Israel,
\nlet's look at some facts about the creation of Israel.<\/p>\n
First, Israel was created as a Jewish homeland after World War
\nII. Jews who had survived Nazi oppression felt that they needed a
\nhomeland of their own to be safe. In creating Israel, one
\nimportant fact was overlooked. The land Israel was established on
\nalready belonged to the Palestinians. There are many places that
\nJews could have gone to after World War II. The United States of
\nAmerica, for example, is a nation of immigrants. There was no
\nmoral justification for grabbing Palestinian land to make way for
\nIsrael.<\/p>\n
Now the oppressed Jews have themselves become oppressors. Even
\ntoday, Palestinians live under Israeli military rule and are
\ndenied even the most basic human rights. Terrorism, that is,
\nattacks against innocent people, is wrong no matter how it is
\njustified. However, the Palestinians are not wrong to fight their
\noppressors.<\/p>\n
Abraham asserts that Israel is not a poor country. He forgets
\nthat Israel is the world's biggest welfare recipient. Without US$
\n3 billion a year in U.S. aid, Israel would be very poor indeed.<\/p>\n
We should not trust the government blindly as Abraham seems to
\nsuggest. Even leaders in government are only human and can make
\nmistakes. They should not be above constructive criticism. That
\nphilosophical point aside, Indonesia's leaders are right in not
\nestablishing diplomatic relations with Israel.<\/p>\n
If Indonesia were to establish diplomatic relations with
\nIsrael, it would legitimize Israel's existence on the grabbed
\nland. It would, in effect, mean that Indonesia is turning a blind
\neye to Israeli oppression of the Palestinians. Indonesia's
\nleaders should be applauded for having the courage to say to the
\nworld that this is wrong.<\/p>\n
KEVIN J. DUNPHY<\/p>\n
Bandung, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-relations-with-israel-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }