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