Thursday, March 11, 2010

[ePalestine] My unpublished letter to NYT Editor

To the Editor: 


Mr. Segal’s call for Palestinian statehood, before resolution of the core issues, is a recipe for total disaster and incongruent with international law. 

Why would any honest person, well-informed about history and committed to the rule of law, suggest recognizing a Palestinian state without borders?  This same international blunder created the State of Israel and has cost innumerable lives ever since. 

Declaring a Palestinian state is not the issue. Palestinians issued a Declaration of Independence back on 15 November 1988 and, at the time, more countries formally recognized it than officially recognized the State of Israel originally. Sadly, the US and Israel were on the wrong side of history then, as now. 

Any diplomatic attempt to fragment Palestinian rights—first and foremost among them the right of Palestinian refugees to return home—is merely arm-twisting: selling a fragmented diplomatic reality to match the tortuous and fragmented reality on the ground, created by Israel, using force. What for? Palestinians aren’t buying. 

Sam Bahour 
Al-Bireh, occupied Palestine


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