No relations with Israel

No relations with Israel

I would like to respond to the letter by Edward N.H. Abraham
regarding Indonesian relations with Israel. To understand why
Indonesia should not establish diplomatic relations with Israel,
let's look at some facts about the creation of Israel.

First, Israel was created as a Jewish homeland after World War
II. Jews who had survived Nazi oppression felt that they needed a
homeland of their own to be safe. In creating Israel, one
important fact was overlooked. The land Israel was established on
already belonged to the Palestinians. There are many places that
Jews could have gone to after World War II. The United States of
America, for example, is a nation of immigrants. There was no
moral justification for grabbing Palestinian land to make way for
Israel.

Now the oppressed Jews have themselves become oppressors. Even
today, Palestinians live under Israeli military rule and are
denied even the most basic human rights. Terrorism, that is,
attacks against innocent people, is wrong no matter how it is
justified. However, the Palestinians are not wrong to fight their
oppressors.

Abraham asserts that Israel is not a poor country. He forgets
that Israel is the world's biggest welfare recipient. Without US$
3 billion a year in U.S. aid, Israel would be very poor indeed.

We should not trust the government blindly as Abraham seems to
suggest. Even leaders in government are only human and can make
mistakes. They should not be above constructive criticism. That
philosophical point aside, Indonesia's leaders are right in not
establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.

If Indonesia were to establish diplomatic relations with
Israel, it would legitimize Israel's existence on the grabbed
land. It would, in effect, mean that Indonesia is turning a blind
eye to Israeli oppression of the Palestinians. Indonesia's
leaders should be applauded for having the courage to say to the
world that this is wrong.

KEVIN J. DUNPHY

Bandung, West Java